Kingdom Hearts: Path of the Keyblade Master
by AndrewK9000
Summary: The first volume in my new series. This time Sora and the gang team up with heroes from a parallel world in order to vanquish a darkness greater than The Heartless; The Wamphyri. Who will survive?
1. Chapter 1: Rumors of Evil

Greetings fellow readers and writers! You are about to begin the first volume in my all new Kingdom Hearts and I hope you like it! Okay, this is going to be more than just a sequel to Beyond the Door to Light, much more. This series will contain many mysteries and intrigues as Sora and his fellow Keyblade Wielders prepare for the Mark of Mastery and become Keyblade Masters, while some of our heroes will learn a shocking truth that will be revealed in due time.

Now, this fic crosses Kingdom Hearts with the Necroscope series by Brian Lumney, while also containing original characters by DJ Scales, a good friend and fellow writer who's been helping me with this new series. Also, credit is due to Kingdom Hearts Guy, who's also been a great help. Thanks to both of you.

Now, I don't own anything in this story except for the plot and my original characters, so please don't sue me. And now, without further delay, please enjoy…

**Kingdom Hearts: Path of the Keyblade Master**

**Volume 1: Between The Worlds**

**By AndrewK9000**

**Associate Producers: DJ Scales & Kingdom Hearts Guy**

**Chapter 1: Rumors of Evil**

_…Destiny Island…Earth…_

"You'll have to do better than that, Sora!" shouted Riku as he and Sora held yet another duel on the small island with the Paopu tree, only this duel, like so many over the past three months, were being fought with their Keyblades instead of their old wooden swords.

Ever since our heroes had triumphed over the insidious plot of Gideon Graves to free Light Yagami, otherwise known as Kira, from limbo, a plan whose true master, Chernabog, sought to bring about mass chaos across existence and feed on it, Sora, Riku, Kairi, Tess and Aiden, whom had briefly returned to The State, only to return to his friends when things were too quiet at home, had been training together, striving for the day when they will be ready to take The Mark of Mastery and become true Keyblade Masters.

Their training had been, to say the least, harsh, almost as horrendous as their training for The Tournament of Light, only so because their sensei, Nodoka Saotome, was otherwise occupied and couldn't come, so Sora and the others had to train themselves, which meant hours of weightlifting, running, cardio exorcises, swimming, spell casting and most of all Keyblade duels.

Since they started their new training regime, Sora and Riku, whom hadn't been keeping a count of duels like they had been in the old days, had grown pretty much even in swordplay skills, yet while Riku had the advantage of physical power due to being a year older, Sora had the advantage in magic.

As for Kairi and Tess, whom were dueling on the beach near the waterfall at that moment, weren't as advanced in swordplay as Sora and Riku, but Kairi found that her spell casting was slightly superior to Sora, while Tess was more agile and had slightly more stamina.

And Aiden, whom was currently doing pushups on the larger pier, always had the advantage of alchemy.

"So what did you think of that book we had to read for Literature?" Riku asked as he slashed his Keyblade at Sora, whom blocked and struck back at Riku's left side, which Riku dodged.

"Which book?" Sora asked as he dodged an overhead strike from Riku, "if it's one of those Shakespeare plays I had to drag myself through, then I didn't like it."

"What's not to like about Shakespeare?" Riku asked, "is there one you particularly don't like? It's Romeo and Juliet, isn't it? You don't like the ending? Or maybe you don't get the humor, from A Midsummer's Night Dream."

"I just don't get any of it," said Sora, "the words they use in those plays, who talks like that?"

"Yeah, sometimes the words are hard to understand," said Riku. He then rushed at Sora, then feinted to the right and delivered a hard low strike to Sora's leg. Sora then countered with a triple strike to Riku's midsection that knocked Riku on his back, only to have Riku spring back up and kick Sora in the side, knocking him off the small island and into the water below with a loud splash.

Sora stood up in the shallow water, wincing and rubbing the stinging salt from his eyes, "how do you keep doing that to me?" He asked, "I thought I figured that backflip kick of yours out by now!"

"I stopped doing that for a while," said Riku as he walked over to the edge of the small island, "you just keep forgetting about it until it's too late." He then knelt down and held out his hand for Sora.

But then Sora reached up and pulled Riku into the water, "didn't see that coming, did you?"

Riku stood up irately, "some friend you are," he said, "but I guess I deserved it."

"Expect the unexpected," said Sora.

Just then he and Riku heard Tess cry out in pain. They looked at the beach and saw Tess kneeling down, clutching at her foot, while Kairi walked over, a concerned look on her face, only to have Tess grab Kairi's legs when she got close enough and flipped her on her back. Kairi quickly got back on her feet, about the same time as Tess stood up, and the two of them resumed their duel.

"Expect the unexpected," said Riku. They then swam back to the beach, ready to continue their own duel, when they heard Aiden shout out in frustration.

"What's his problem?" Tess asked.

"I can guess," said Kairi.

Aiden then walked over, his sweat-drenched and mildly sunburned torso exposed as he carried his shirt in his hand, "I can't do it," he said in a breathless tone, "I just can't do it."

"How many are you up to now?" Tess asked.

"Nine-hundred and twelve," said Aiden, "nine-hundred and twelve pushups, and I'm up to nine-hundred and twenty sit-ups and nine-hundred and fifteen pull-ups. If only I can get to a thousand of each, but I can't do that many, I just can't."

"Give it time," said Kairi, "with time and practice, you can do pretty much anything."

"And there's the fact that we're still teenagers," said Tess, "we're still growing," she then looked at Aiden inquisitively, "and just how old are you, anyway?'

"Isn't it rude to ask someone their age?" Aiden asked.

"It only applies to girls," said Tess.

"Well," said Aiden, "whatever, I'm fifteen and a half, what's it to you?"

"Just wanted to know how long it is until your birthday," said Tess.

"And here I thought you didn't care," said Aiden, "and what about you, when's your birthday?"

Tess was about to say something but she hesitated, "you know, I can't even remember when my birthday is. I mean, I've been fighting almost nonstop since I was little. I…I've forgotten when my birthday is."

"That's horrible!" said Kairi, "no one should have to go through that."

"We'll just have to find out when your birthday is," said Riku to Tess.

"How?" Tess asked.

"Look at your birth certificate," said Sora.

"What are those?" Tess asked.

"I don't think they have birth certificates on Metamore," said Aiden.

"Now that I think about it," said Tess, "even if I do remember, it's probably not my real birthday," she looked at Kairi and Aiden, "you weren't there when I was hypnotized and remembered the last thing my father told me before he was killed by Phobos' dogs. I was a foundling, placed on my fathers' doorstep as an infant. I have no idea who I really am or where I come from."

"And I thought my life was messed up," said Aiden.

"And there's that letter that had your name on it," said Kairi, "the one Ramona had me give to you, from that Alegra person."

"Just what was in that letter?" Sora asked.

"It's personal," said Tess as she placed her hand on her pocket, "for my eyes only, and before you ask, no, it didn't say anything about who I am."

"Then what was in it?" Sora asked.

"I told you that it was personal," said an annoyed Tess, "pay attention already!" She then sighed, "look, the letter had no answers, that's all I'm going to say. I might as well stop thinking about the whole mess, it's only making me miserable. I don't even know where to look for answers."

"Why don't we just ask The King and Queen for help?" Sora asked, "I'm sure they'll know where to start looking."

"You really think so?" Tess asked.

Just then a portal to Disney Castle opened up on the beach.

"Wow, you really can call it," said Aiden to Tess.

"The King must want to talk to us," said Riku.

"Right now?" Tess asked, "but we're all sweaty and tired, and some of us are soaking wet."

"That's easy enough to fix," said Sora. He then summoned several marble-sized fireballs that circled around our heroes rapidly. Within seconds they were all dried out.

Kairi then cast a cleansing spell that soon had everyone completely scrubbed and sweat-free from head to toe, while their clothes were also cleaned and dried.

"Alright," said Aiden as he pressed his wrists, "let's do it!" he walked into the portal, with Sora, Riku, Kairi and Tess right behind him.

They then found themselves in the castle library, where Queen Minnie, Daisy and Pluto were waiting, said dog then promptly leapt at and tackled Sora and showered his face with affection.

"Like clockwork," said Riku.

"Cut it out, Pluto," laughed Sora, "I just got cleaned up!"

"He can't help it," said Kairi as Pluto then switched his attention to her, "we're his friends."

"Pluto's friends with everyone," said Daisy.

"It's in his nature to make lots of friends," said Queen Minnie, "that and to get into as much trouble as possible. But for now his days of wild adventures are on hold."

"Your majesty," said Sora as he, Riku, Kairi, Aiden and Tess bowed.

"What's the situation?" Aiden asked.

"And where's The King?" Riku asked, "didn't he summon us?"

"As a matter of fact," said Queen Minnie, "I summed you. I will explain soon, but as to where The King is, he is on a mission of his own."

"And he took Donald and Goofy with him," said Daisy.

"They're with The King?" Sora asked, "it must be important if he needs Donald and Goofy."

"It is of grave importance," said Queen Minnie, "for Aqua and Ansem the Wise have gone with them as well. They are in search of Castle Oblivion, where Aqua sealed away the body of Ventus for safekeeping."

"They still haven't found it?" Roxas asked as he suddenly appeared outside of Sora, while Naminé appeared outside of Kairi.

"Warn us before you do that!" snapped a startled Aiden.

"Sorry," said Naminé, "popping out like that is sort of a habit by now."

"Never mind that," said Roxas. He then looked at Queen Minnie, "why haven't they found Castle Oblivion yet? It's a castle, and castles don't just disappear on their own."

"That's what Donald said in his last letter," said Daisy.

"The King believes that some outside force is responsible for the disappearance," said Queen Minnie, "he has his suspicions who, but there is no evidence."

"I also have my suspicions," said Riku.

"if you're talking about Maleficent," said Kairi.

"Maleficent isn't back yet," said Daisy, "that's one thing we're sure of."

"Then it's got to be Hades," said Sora, "now that Maleficent's gone, the spell keeping Hades locked in the Underworld is broken."

"Actually," said Queen Minnie, "there has been no sigh of Hades outside the Underworld. It seems that he does not know that he is free of Maleficent's spell and will stay confined so long as be believes he is under the spell."

"Then no one had better tell that flame-haired jerk," said Naminé, "one less villain to deal with."

"Then who's taken Castle Oblivion?" Roxas asked, "I've still got Ven's heart inside of me, and not that I don't mind carrying it, I'd like to put it back where it belongs."

"I've got one more suspicion," said Riku.

"Xehanort," said Tess, "he's behind it."

"We haven't heard from Xehanort since he warned us about Chernabog," said Sora, "but that doesn't mean he's going to keep quiet forever."

"There's other villains out there," said Kairi, "Sephiroth, for example."

"And that psychopath, Dio Brando," said Aiden, "we haven't seen hide or hair of him since The Tournament of Light, and is there going to be another one?"

"I don't know," said Sora, "we've been so busy saving the worlds and training that we've kinda been cut off from the news. We'll look it up when we get home."

"But before that," said Riku, he then looked at Queen Minnie, "what can we do to help The King?"

"Only continue your training and enjoy your lives," said The Queen, "but for now there is a slight issue in which your assistance is needed."

"Whatever it is," said Sora, "we're ready, willing and able to help." at that Riku, Kairi, Aiden and Tess nodded in agreement.

"Very well then," said Queen Minnie, "word has come to us of strange and dark tidings from certain worlds within the realms, tidings of men, women and children disappearing in the night, of some people savagely murdered, their bodies horribly mutilated, and most mysterious of all, rumors of grotesque monsters that are right out of a nightmare."

"Are they Heartless?" Sora asked.

"Or Nobodies?" Roxas asked.

"Or a type of demon?" Aiden asked.

"We do not know," said Queen Minnie, "what is known is that the incidences are all tied to three worlds; The Castle of Dreams, The Dwarf Woodlands and The Enchanted Dominion."

"I've never heard of those worlds," said Sora.

"Me neither," said Riku.

"Not me," said both Aiden and Tess.

"I think I've heard of them," said Roxas, "just bits and pieces I picked up from The Organization."

"I know of them," said Kairi, "the first is the home of Cinderella, the second is home to Snow White and the third is home to Aurora, otherwise known as Sleeping Beauty."

"So we finally get to see their worlds," said Sora, "cool."

"It's not a sightseeing tour," said Daisy in an annoyed tone as she placed her hands on her hips, "people have been murdered and many more have gone missing. The princesses of the three worlds wouldn't have called for help is it wasn't serious."

"Aurora and the others asked for our help?" Sora asked.

"They did indeed," said Queen Minnie, "and in the absence of King Mickey, I have the authority to dispatch you Keyblade Wielders to assist the princesses of heart."

"Then what are we waiting for?" Aiden asked, "let's go!"

"There's still the issue of how we're getting there," said Tess.

"And which world to go to first," said Riku.

"We've already taken care of that," said Daisy as she grabbed a thick set of files from the desk in the middle of the room, "these contain all the information so far on the murders and disappearances, as well as your flight plan; your first stop will be The Castle of Dreams."

"But how are we getting there?" Tess asked as Sora took the files from Daisy.

"That's what Gummy Ships are for," said Daisy.

"But ours isn't here," said Sora, "_The Intrepid Heart_ is still being fixed by Cid, and he hasn't gotten back with us in months."

"I do believe that Cid is still repairing your Gummy Ship," said Queen Minnie, "he plans to improve it, to make it better than before."

"But it's already perfect," said Kairi, "The Intrepid Heart has everything we need for a voyage between the worlds."

"And the ship has the best A.I. program," said Tess, "I really miss Sidney."

"Oh, Sidney is fine," said Daisy, "Cid told us that Sidney's programming has been fully restored after the battle against Chernabog."

"Then why hasn't Cid told us about any of this?" an exasperated Aiden asked.

"He's been busy," said Daisy.

"It will be some time before Cid is finished with The Intrepid Heart," said Queen Minnie, "in the meantime, I am more than happy to loan you one of the castle's Gummy Ships."

"You've got more than one Gummy Ship?" Sora asked.

"Of course," said Queen Minnie, "come and see."

They followed The Queen and Daisy to the Gummy Hanger, then to another room in the hangar where nearly a dozen Gummy Ships, each one a different model, waited in their berths.

"Wow!" said Sora.

"The King is currently out in our latest ship," said Queen Mickey, "_Reliant Blade_. Sora, you and your friends may borrow any ship here."

Sora and the others then walked around the hangar, looking at the different ships. They eventually decided on a red and white colored Falcon model named _'The Star Child.'_

"Who comes up with these names?" Aiden asked as they looked the ship over both inside and out, finding it to be their liking.

"I don't know," said Kairi, "but I've got a feeling that we shouldn't let Sidney know we're using another ship."

"Why would she be feel like that?" Sora asked, "she's a hologram, holograms don't get jealous."

"Sidney's no ordinary hologram," said Tess, "come to think of it, she's the only hologram I know."

"She would be jealous," said Riku, "but so long as we remember that we're just borrowing this Gummy Ship, I don't think there'll be a problem."

"In that case, we'd better get going," said Sora, "Cinderella and the others are waiting for us."

"Then there is nothing else to say," said Queen Minnie, "except good luck."

"And be careful," said Daisy, "whatever's doing these horrible things isn't something to be taken lightly."

"We know," said Riku, "and thanks."

"We'll be careful," said Sora, "and we'll come back with this mystery solved before you know it!" he then grinned eagerly and gave The Queen the thumbs up.

Our heroes then boarded _The Star Child _and stowed their gear in the crew quarters. The ship didn't have the same luxuries as did The Intrepid Heart, such as a training room and entertainment rooms, as well as a much smaller kitchen, while the boys had a single room with a triple bunk-bead, while the girls had only a regular bunk bed, but there were two bathrooms and the ship's library had a wide variety of MP3 music files.

"We'll be fine," said Riku as they went onto the bridge and began powering up the ship systems, with Riku at the helm, Aiden at the engendering station, Kairi at the science and navigation terminal, Tess at the weapons computer and Sora in the captain's seat.

"Yeah, fine," said Aiden in a slightly sarcastic tone, "like going to a motel after living at The Alhambra for a year."

"The what?" Tess asked.

"A big hotel in Central," said Aiden, "I stayed there while I was visiting my friends, it's really nice, but a little boring. Now this, going around the worlds and saving innocent people from the gods know what, this is exciting."

"Then let's get going!" said Sora.

"_Star Child_, launch!" shouted Riku as he pressed the buttons that would launch the ship into space.

But instead of the force of sudden acceleration, the engines merely groaned in frustration and then died back.

"What was that?" Kairi asked.

"Did you press the wrong button, Riku?" Aiden asked.

"No," said Riku in a slightly annoyed tone, "I did, at least I think I did," he checked his terminal, then pressed the buttons again, only to have the engines groan and die back again.

"I did things right, I swear," said Riku, "something's wrong with the engine."

"Where's Chip and Dale when you need them?" Sora asked.

"They're with his majesty," said Daisy over the ship's com link, "and did you leave the breaks on?"

"Breaks?" Riku asked as he looked at the terminal, "what breaks? I don't see any…" he then looked down at the bottom of the terminal and saw a small red switch that was marked in the 'on' position, "oh, here it is," he flicked the switch to 'off,' then pressed the engine buttons. There was a surge pf power and the ship lunged forward into the launch tube, throwing our heroes into their seats as the ship hurtled into space.

"Well, that was exciting," said Kairi once they were in orbit around Disney Castle.

"Not my idea of fun," said Tess.

"We may not have much chance for fun for a while," said Aiden, "we've got all that data on the murders and missing persons."

"Research," said Sora, "yeah, not my idea of fun."

"We'll have plenty of time for research," said Riku as he programmed the coordinates for The Castle of Dreams into the hyper drive.

"Let's hope that we'll get a handle on whatever is behind all this," said Kairi.

"Me too," said Sora as the ship jumped into hyperspace.

* * *

"They'll be fine," said Daisy, "they're too good to fail."

"I hope so," said Queen Minnie, "but I can't help but feel that they're in over their heads," she closed her eyes and brought her hands together, "oh, Mickey, hurry back. I'm afraid that Sora and the others will need you."

* * *

_…somewhere between the worlds…_

"We've been looking for weeks," grumbled Donald as he, Goofy, King Mickey, Ansem the Wise and Aqua, sat in front of several computer screens that displayed sensor data inside _The Reliant Blade_, a huge red, blue and green gummy ship cruised through the vacuum of space on the outer reaches of the realms, "and nothing!"

"We've been backwards, forwards, upside down and inside out across the realms," said Goofy, "and come up with neither hair nor hide of Castle Oblivion."

"I do believe it's the other way around," said Aqua, "but the idea is the same," she sighed with frustration, "I don't understand, how can an entire castle disappear?"

"I don't know," said King Mickey in a frustrated tone, "whatever Xehanort did, he did it big and left us in the dust."

"If there's one thing to expect from Xehanort," said Ansem the Wise, "it's the unexpected."

Just then came a beeping noise from Ansem's pocket. He pulled out a PDA and saw a message, "and speaking of the unexpected," he then looked at King Mickey, "if it's not too much trouble, your majesty, I am needed back in Radiant Garden."

"Is something wrong?" The King asked.

"Nothing of dire circumstances," said Ansem as he read more of the message, "but there is a matter concerning my computer that I must attend to."

"We don't have time for you to check your email!" snapped Donald.

"I can easily do that with my mobile," said Ansem, "but this is a personal matter of grave importance to me," he looked at King Mickey, "your majesty, I wouldn't ask you this if it weren't so important to me. I must attend to this matter."

"What is it?" Aqua asked, "what's wrong?"

"Nothing, yet," said Ansem, "it's a very long and complicated story. In short, a nearly forgotten aspect of my past has resurfaced, something that could prove dire to the realms of light if left unattended. I cannot say any more at this time, only that I must return to my study at Radiatn Garden and resolve this issue with my computer."

"Does it got one of them viruses or somethin?'" Goofy asked.

"Tron could take care of that," said Donald.

"If only it were as trivial as that," said Ansem.

King Mickey had been seriously thinking things over, pondering Ansem's request with his arms crossed, "Gosh, Ansem, I'd like to help you out, I really would, but we're so far from Radiant Garden. To turn around and go back would waste so much time, and for all we know, Xehanort could have moved Castle Oblivion to someplace else and we'd never find it."

"We won't find it if we just sit around arguing," said Aqua.

Just then Chip's voice could be heard through the ship's intercom, "your majesty! There's another ship approaching _The Reliant Blade_!"

"Another ship?" King Mickey asked, "do we know who it is?"

"I don't know," said Dale, "but it's big, blue and has a big yellow SeeD on it."

"SeeD?" Aqua asked.

"An elite mercenary taskforce," said Ansem, "specializing in covert operations and battlefield support."

"They're hailing us," said Dale.

"Pipe it down here, boys," said King Mickey.

"Hailing frequency opened," said Chip, "audio only."

From one of the computer screens came the voice of a young woman in her early 20's, a voice full of confidence and determination, "this is the SeeD battle cruiser _Defiant_. Identify yourselves!"

"Well that's rude," said Goofy, "demanding our names."

"At least they introduced themselves first," said Aqua.

"Indeed," said King Mickey, "transmit a reply; This is the royal gummy ship _Reliant Blade_, under the command of King Mickey of Disney Castle. To whom am I speaking with? And what is your business in the realms of light?"

The reply came within seconds, "this is SeeD Special Commander Quistis Trepe," said the woman, "and I'm on my way to find an old comrade of mine; Squall Leonhart."

"Squall Leonhart?" The King asked, "Leon! Yes, his full name is Squall Leonhart!" he then sent a reply, "Commander Trepe, I know your friend! He's a very good comrade of mine as well."

"So he is still alive," said Quistis, "figures, he's too moody and stubborn to die. Do you know where he is?"

"He's currently on Radiant Garden," said King Mickey, "I'll send you the coordinates."

"With your permission, your majesty," said Ansem, "I'd like to beam over to the SeeD ship, since they'll soon be heading in the dirrection I wish to go."

"You want to go with them?" King Mickey asked.

"Are you sure?" Goofy asked, "they could be dangerous."

"They're not," said Ansem, "not to those who walk in the light that is. Besides, I happen to know Commander Trepe," he then sent a message to the Defiant, "hello, Quistis, it's been quite a while."

"Is that you, Ansem?" Quistis asked, "I thought you died over ten years ago."

"I've been close to death many times, old friend," said Ansem, "we'll get reacquainted along the way to visit young Squall. I request permission to beam over to your ship and accompany you on your journey."

"Of course, permission granted," said Quistis, "it's great to hear from you again, old bear."

"Old bear?" Donald laughed, while Goofy also laughed.

"I'm sort of her unofficial godfather," said Ansem, "now, by your leave, your majesty."

"Of course," said King Mickey, "good luck, Ansem, and I'll see you soon."

"We'll contact you as soon as we find Castle Oblivion," said Aqua.

"I know you will," said Ansem. He then bowed to them and left the scanner room, heading for the ship's transporter room. Within minutes he was beamed across space to the transporter room of the Defiant.

He was met by a tall woman who looked to be in her early 20's with long blond hair tied back with a silver clip and two fringes of hair on either side of her face. She had blue eyes behind a pair of glasses and wore a blue and black tunic and skirt uniform.

"Hello, old bear," said the woman, Quistis Trepe as she smiled brightly.

"Hello, little cub," said Ansem. He and Quistis then hugged like long lost friends.

"So, what's so important for you at Radiant Garden?" Quistis asked as the two of them walked back to the bridge of the ship.

"Do you remember when I told you about when I first built my computer system?" Ansem asked, "about the special file I had secure deep in it's hard drive?"

"That file?" Quistis asked, "then…'it' is about to break free?"

"Not if I have anything to say about it," said Ansem, "I just need to reinforce the encryption protocols, while also try some new programs that will, I hope, delete the problem once and for all. I should have destroyed it years ago but nothing I did could kill it. I can only hope that with recent technological advances, I can lay this old nightmare of mine to rest before it destroys any more innocent lives."

"I hope so too," said Quistis, "that thing is more dangerous than anything we've faced before."

"Indeed," said Ansem, "but enough about me? What of you? What brings you to the realms of light?"

"I told you, I'm here to find Squall," said Quistis, "I've been reassigned to the realms of light to establish a SeeD garden on Radiant Garden, no pun intended, with Squall as the commander."

"I thought Leon retired from being a SeeD," said Ansem, "and weren't you his superior?"

"I still am," said Quistis, "but I'm in semi-retirement myself. I'll be there to get the new base organized and the teams established. Squall will be the one in charge of the actual fighting, if there is any."

"You truly think SeeD is needed in The Realms of Light?" Ansem asked.

"After everything that's happened, yes," said Quistis, "and I know what you're going to ask next, old bear. I know Squall won't take being reactivated well. Part of my job is to convince him to take the job, and then I have to go find the others."

"What others?" Ansem asked.

"The rest of our old team," said Quistis, "I've come to the realms of light to put the band back together."

* * *

"They're on their way to Radiant Garden," said Chip.

"I wish them well," said King Mickey, "I think I know what Commander Trepe has planned for Leon, and he's not going to like it at all."

"Meanwhile, we've still got to find Castle Oblivion," said Goofy.

"If it's even still out there," said Donald.

"The only thing we can do is keep looking," said King Mickey, "but where else in the realms of light can we look?"

"If Xehanort has taken the castle to somewhere else," said Aqua, "then it can be anywhere in time and space, and with it Ven's body. I'm just glad I hid Ven in the one place that that evil, evil, evil man will never find him."

* * *

_…Castle Oblivion…_

"Now, where are you?" Xehanort asked to himself as he walked through the halls of the 13 level castle that used to be The Land of Departure, "I know Auqa placed you here somewhere, Ventus, but where? Do you honestly think that I would let go of my desire for the X-Blade? I will have you back, Ventus, you and Vanitas, and the two of you shall become one."

"Talking to yourself is a sure sign of madness," said Dio Brando as he appeared behind the old dark master.

"And using the power to stop time in order to sneak up on people while they are thinking is a sign of rudeness," said a slightly annoyed yet humored Xehanort.

"What can I say?" Dio Brando asked, "I'm not a nice guy. So, what's diabolical plan are we about to initiate today?"

"Nothing, yet," said Xehanort, "not until our new conclave is complete."

"And just how long do I have to wait for that?" Dio Brando asked, "I can only stop time, not speed it up. Patience is one of my virtues, but there's only so much waiting I can endure."

"At least wait until Sephiroth returns," said Xehanort, "his last correspondence said he was on the verge of acquiring a financial backer for our little group."

"Why do we need someone to give us the money when we can just steal it?" Dio Brando asked.

"What I have planed requires vast amounts of currency," said Xehanort, "if one were to steal the amounts required, then the authorities would become involved, not that any law enforcement agency can do anything to stop us that is. Yet I would prefer to attract as little attention as possible, especially from Sora and his meddling friends, for those five Keyblade Wielders are the only ones whom have any chance of stopping us once we start."

"So we need someone whom can get us the money we need through back channels," said Dio Brando, "I get that now, but why are you still hung up about getting a mad scientist? Aren't you crazy enough as it is?"

At that Xehanourt laughed wickedly, "one might say that I am mad," he said, "however, there are sciences that I am unfamiliar with yet are necessary for my designs, and there is no time to learn them. We need a master of dark science, and with Davros's refusal to my invitation, we need to look elsewhere." He then looked at Dio Brando, "and you, my cursed friend, will find us such a mad genius."

At that Dio Brando looked like he either wanted to give a snappy retort or rip Xehanort's head off. Instead he gave the dark master a disarming smile, "alright, I'll go find us a mad scientist. But not because you ordered me to. I want to know what you've got planned, and if running this errand, and other inevitable errands no doubt, is what is required to know what's on your mind, then I'll do it." With that he vanished in the blink of an eye.

"That one is a lose cannon that'll have to be removed before too long," said Xehanort, "but not before he does what is required of him. Now," he then resumed his walk through the castle corridors, "you can hide, Ventus, but you cannot hide forever."

* * *

_…London…Another Earth…_

Outside a seemingly derelict warehouse on the banks of the Thames River stood two girls, twins, approximately 19 years old each. Asian in appearance, they each had amber eyes, with one girl's eyes had a slight red tint while her sisters' eyes were slightly blue and both stood at 5 foot 9 inches tall, both well muscled from extensive physical training, yet they still had a highly attractive figure, curved in places that were bound to attract the desire of any male eye. Yet while they were aware of their sensual attributes, they hated to be treated as eye candy by men and preferred to use their minds to make their way through life.

The girl with the red tint to her eyes wore a red t-shirt under a brown leather jacket with blue jeans and green and white tennis shoes. Her shoulder length black hair had red streaks. She had the aura of a tomboy, whom prides on her physical and emotional strength, disliked being feminine and abhorred it when men try to get too close to her and her sister, both physically and emotionally. Her name is Rita.

Her sister on the other hand was all but a polar opposite. With blue streaks in her shoulder length black hair tied with a purple bow, she wore a blue and white dress and red high-heals and carried a small golden Gucci purse. This was a girl whom embraced her femininity and loved dating boys, but never kept a boyfriend more than a few dates, always moving on to the next pretty face that caught her eye. She enjoyed the attention her figure brought and was sometimes upset by her sister being overly protective of the two of them. Her name is Reina.

The twins looked at each other and nodded in affirmation. They then walked into the seemingly abandoned warehouse. Inside it was a dust and cobweb-ridden mess full of stray bits of garbage and empty boxes. Here and there were support pillars that were mostly rusted, while random holes littered the roof. The whole area had the appearance of being on the verge of collapsing on itself, or catching fire.

Reina walked to one of the support pillars and took a white keycard from her purse. She touched the pillar with her thumb and a hidden panel opened, revealing a keypad and a card reader. She swiped the keycard through the reader and pressed a seven digit code into the pad.

A rectangular section of the floor glowed white, then lowered slightly, revealing itself to be an elevator. Reina and Rita walked onto the elevator and it began lowing itself into the ground. Once they were below the floor of the warehouse, an identical section of the floor slit into place, concealing the elevator.

The elevator shaft was brightly lit as it descended hundreds of feet into the earth, eventually stopping at a metal chamber that held only a single door with another keypad and card reader, but also had a retinal scanner.

This time Rita took out a keycard from her pocket and swiped it through the reader, punched in a 7 digit code into the pad and held her left eye in front of the scanner. After a few seconds the door opened with a loud click.

The twins walked through the door to find themselves inside a vast office complex, filled with row after row of men and women in various styles of business suits working at computers, wearing headsets that allowed them to monitor information from around the world.

Reina and Rita walked pass the cubicles, ignoring the looks the various people there gave them; desire from the men, envy from the women and overall, curiosity, for the twins were somewhat of an enigma to these people.

Past the cubicles were various large rooms full of people undergoing various forms of training; some were learning hand to hand combat in a wide range of martial arts. Others were practicing with weapons; knives, swords, axes and other things with blades. Then there were target ranges where men and women practiced with bows and arrows, crossbows, pistols, rifles, machineguns, RPG's and even flamethrowers.

Then there were rooms where young men and women were practicing with their minds, that is, using mental powers; telekinesis, telepathy, precognition and retrocognition, farsight, astral projection and other psychic abilities.

Reina and Rita then walked through a corridor that had several doors, each door leading to an office. Their destination lay in the door at the far end of the corridor. They opened the door, revealing a reception area with a door at the other end of the room, in the middle of which was a secretary in a blue blouse and skirt, whom sat typing at a computer. She saw the twins and pressed a button on an intercom, "they're here, boss," she said.

"Send them in," said a strong male voice on the other end of the intercom.

"You're expected," said the secretary to Reina and Rita. They nodded their thanks and went to the far door and opened it.

Inside was a large office filled with bookcases loaded with books of all shapes and sizes. In the Near the far corner was a large desk and seated at the desk was a man in a white business suit. He was roughly in his early 50's with short, graying brown hair and one brown eye, the other, the left one covered by a black eye patch. His skin was medium toned, while his right hand was oddly pale. On his left hand was a silver ring with a sapphire crystal.

"Well now," said the man as he stood up from his desk, "I'm glad to see you two again. How was your holiday?"

"Not as long as we hoped it would be," said Reina in a slightly disappointed tone, "But then, any excuse to visit Paris after all is a good excuse."

"It would have been better if we hadn't run into that incubus," said Rita in an annoyed tone. She placed her hands on the desk and leaned towards the man in the white suit, "admit, Lancaster Lawrence, our trip to Paris wasn't just a vacation, you sent us there to kill that thing, right?"

"I personally had no idea there were any incubi anywhere in France at that time," said the man, Lancaster Lawrence, "and please, call me Boss, everyone does, you should know that by now, considering that you've been working with E-Branch for the past year now."

"You don't have to remind us, Boss," Rita, "and I still think it was no coincidence."

"And you don't have to remind us that we've been working with E-Branch for a year," said Reina, "E-Branch, a top-secret branch of the British Secret Service, founded in the early 1970's, who's original mission was to conduct covert, psychic missions against the Soviet Union, and at the same time, counter their psychics."

"But E-Branch evolved into more than just psychic spies," said Rita, "instead of fighting communist psychics, you guys also hunt and kill both human and non-human evildoers; rouge psychics, necromancers and a whole galaxy of monsters that either want to eat humans, mate with them or wipe humanity out."

"Some of those things want to destroy the world entirely," said Reina.

"Yes," said Lancaster Lawrence, "all true. E-Branch has changed over the years, but our overall mission has remained the same; normal humans and espers working side by side to defend not only Great Britain, but the whole world, from those whom wish mankind ill. But we're more than just a secret army of highly trained men and women, we're a family, and I had hoped that you two would feel welcomed in that family by now."

"Not that we don't appreciate all that you've done for us, Boss," said Rita, "but seriously, we'd like to go home, wherever it is."

"Assuming we have a home to go to," said Reina, "for all we know, the world we originally came from is gone, and with it all our friends and family, whomever they were."

"We can't think that," said Rita, "we have to believe that our family and friends are looking for us, and we should be looking for them," she glared at Lancaster Lawrence, "that's where you and your psychics come in, right? You did promise you'd help us in return for our helping E-Branch."

"I am a man of my word," said Lancaster Lawrence, "I remember that day vividly, over a year ago, on the Winter Solstice, when the two of you appeared right in the middle of Stonehenge from a sphere of white light. It didn't take us long to learn that you two were suffering from amnesia; having no memory of who you were or where you came from.

"All that you had was you names, that you were sisters and that you had extraordinary powers the likes of which are unknown on this world, which you demonstrated by vanquishing that demon whom tried to summon a horde of wraiths that would have destroyed London."

"Bonus points to us for killing the wraiths before they could kill anyone!" said a grinning Reina.

"Then you promised to help us remember who we are and where we came from," said Rita, "so, any luck on that?"

"No such luck yet," said Lancaster Lawrence, "but these things take time. A watched pot never boils after all."

"We know," said Rita, "so, of course, while you're trying to help us, we're stuck doing E-Branch's dirty work."

"But we do it so well," said Reina, "we've been given these incredible powers, we might as well use them to make a difference."

"I know, I know," said Rita, "and it does feel good to help people." she then looked at Lancaster Lawrence, "so, Boss, what's the next mission?"

"Is it harpies again?" Reina asked in an uncomfortable tone, "those things creep me out."

"Or is it necromancers," said Rita in a more serious tone, "demented people whom violated the dead in order to learn their secrets from life."

"No," said Lancaster Lawrence, "it's worse than that, much worse; Zerlina."

At that the twins were left shocked into silence for a few seconds. "Zerlina," whispered Rita.

"But we killed that horrible bitch!" snapped Reina, "her and her horrible 'family!'"

"You did wipe out that nightmare of a family," said Lancaster Lawrence, "but Zerlina herself survived the battle. She was sighted while you were on holiday, only to vanish into a dimensional gate."

"Why didn't you call us back from Paris!" exclaimed Rita, "oh wait, you had us fighting that incubus."

"What was there to tell?" Lancaster Lawrence asked, "that the creature that came so close to destroying you is still alive and has escaped to another world, without knowing where she has gone or how to follow? Well, we've found out where she's gone and how to follow her."

"So we're going after Zerlina," said Reina, "and we're going to finish that evil, evil bitch once and for all."

"I can hardly wait," said Rita as she cracked her knuckles in anticipation.

"Indeed," said Lancaster Lawrence, "but, of course, you won't be going alone."

"She nearly killed us last time," said Reina somberly, "but not before we had to fight our way through her 'family.'"

"And she may have made another 'family' by now," said Rita, "maybe a larger one."

"Which is why you'll have a full team going with you," said Lancaster Lawrence. He then pressed the intercom button on his desk and the secretary came in with fourteen file folders, whom handed them to the twins, "seven special ops and seven espers."

"I know some of these guys," said Reina as she and her sister looked the files over, "they're good, really good."

"I'm glad you approve," said Lancaster Lawrence. He then pointed to one of the files for one of the special ops persons, "you'll especially like this one, he'll be your commander for the mission."

"What!" exclaimed Rita as she stood up irately, "why are you putting someone else in charge? Zerlina's our enemy!"

"She's the enemy of all free life," said Lancaster Lawrence.

"Well, she's our nemesis," said Reina, "we've got a major bone to pick with her."

"We know how she thinks," said Rita, "how she operates and her weaknesses. We should lead."

"No," said Lancaster Lawrence flatly, "and there are very good reasons why you shouldn't."

"The hell there's good reasons!" spat Rita.

"You've just displayed reason one," said Lancaster Lawrence, "your temper, Rita. Reason number two is your grudge against Zerlina, it's clouding your judgment."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Reina asked, "there's nothing wrong with my judgment."

"Do you honestly believe that?" Lancaster Lawrence asked, "that if you were to suddenly run into Zerlina, you wouldn't chase after her, abandoning your comrades to who knows what fate, only to run into a trap that Zerlina placed for you? You may know her, but she knows you just as well. She knows what grinds your gears and how to strike the right nerves."

"So we know what makes each other crazy," said Rita.

"It's more than that," said Lancaster Lawrence, "you simply aren't ready to lead. I'm sorry but it's the truth."

"Wow," said Reina in a distant tone, "that's really hurtful."

"I know, and I am sorry," said Lancaster Lawrence, "but that's how it is, and the only way you'll be allowed to go on this highly dangerous mission."

"Are you blackmailing us?" an irate Rita asked, "because if you think for one second you can force my sister and I to do what you want, think again, mister!"

"We'll just pack our bags and go somewhere else," said Reina, "it's not as if we really need to be here, other than that we're needed. But we can always start over someplace else where we can use our talents for good without being bossed around."

"And what of your past before you arrived in this world?" Lancaster Lawrence asked, "we at E-Branch are the best hope the two of you recovering from your amnesia."

"There's other ways to get over amnesia," said Rita, "we'll find a way."

At that Lancaster Lawrence sighed with annoyance, "you know I don't want you two leave, not over such a trivial matter as mission leadership, but I simply cannot allow you to take command, my superiors at 10 Downing Street and our sponsors in Parliament won't allow it. Hell, the Prime Minister himself wouldn't even say yes."

"Not even if we ask him?" Rita asked.

"We can be very convincing," said Reina, "and not just because we're smoking hot."

"Yes, your physical attributes are impressive," said Lancaster Lawrence, "as are your minds and powers. Look, how about a compromise; you can't lead, but you won't have to follow every single order, you'll be more like contracted specialists."

"Like mercenaries, you mean," said Reina.

"Think of it rather as, in baseball terms, pinch hitters," said Lancaster Lawrence, "and we are in a pinch, for if Zerlina is allowed to create another 'family,' she'll be all but unstoppable, and you know full well what Zerlina's 'family' is capable of."

"You don't have to remind us," said Rita in a solemn tone as she pulled out from her pocket an egg-sized silver locket and gripped it tight.

"You know what she did to us," said Reina, "we'll do, boss, we'll work with your team and follow orders, but when the time comes to finish Zerlina once and for all, we get to do it, period!"

"I wouldn't try to convince you otherwise," said Lancaster Lawrence, "now, the team meets in the briefing room in one hour, and you leave an hour later."

"Just where is Zerlina anyway?" Rita asked as she pocketed the locket.

"She's gone to a parallel universe known as The Realms of Light," said Lancaster Lawrence, "everything you'll need to know will be in the briefing."

"We'll be there, boss," said Reina.

"But until then we need some time to ourselves," said Rita.

"I understand completely," said Lancaster Lawrence, "and thank you, you might just have ensured victory over a great evil."

"Here's hoping," said Reina. With that she and her twin left the office.

Once outside in the corridor they walked away and had a telepathic conversation.

_:You think he's going to keep his promise?: _Reina asked, _:let us destroy Zerlina?:_

_:He hasn't lied to us yet, as far as I can tell,: _said Rita, _:that man can be a pain sometimes, but at least he hasn't ever hit on us, god I hate it when men do that.:_

_:You really should loosen up a bit around boys,: _said Reina, _:they're boys for crying out loud.:_

_:They're pigs with only sex on their mind,: _said Rita.

_:Is our fault that we're so irresistible?:_ Reina asked, _:that our DNA and physical training has made us look so desirable? I'm happy with my endowments.:_

_:Well I'm not happy with the attention,:_ said Rita, _:but that's beside the point. What is, is that we're finally going to make Zerlina pay for what she did to us.:_

"You mean to you," said Reina aloud, "I was only there when she hurt you so much."

At that Rita took out her locket again, "yes," she admitted, "she hurt me, and I'll pay her back for everything. A million deaths won't be enough for Zerlina."

"She will pay," said Reina as she clasped her hands around Rita's, "we'll make her pay, together."

"Yes," said Rita, "together."

**The end of chapter 1.**

Next chapter finds Sora and the gang arriving in on the home world of Cinderella, where they are invited to a grand ball. At the same time, The Twins meet their teammates for their crusade against the evil that is Zerlina. Reviews will be rewarded with cake and pie. See you next time!


	2. Chapter 2: Reviving The Ball

Last time found Sora and the others training in preparation for The Mark of Mastery. Their training was interrupted by a summons to Disney Castle, where Queen Minnie gave them their next mission, since King Mickey, along with Ansem, Aqua, Donald and Goofy, were away in search of Castle Oblivion. As the search went on, they met with an old friend of Leon, and Ansem; one Quistis Trepe, whom has come to get Leon to join with SeeD again, while Ansem went with her to Radiant Garden to deal with a ghost from his past.

Meanwhile, the former Land of Departure had been taken by Xehanort and his new cabal, consisting so far of Sephiroth and Dio Brando, whom is now looking for more members to carry out his insidious plots.

As for Sora, Riku, Kairi, Aiden and Tess, they've been asked to visit the worlds of Cinderella, Snow White and Aurora, in order to investigate a bizarre series of murders and disappearances.

Meanwhile on a parallel Earth, a pair of highly endowed twins, Reina and Rita, received a mission from their benefactors, E-Branch, to chase after a mysterious villainess known as Zerlina, whom the twins have a lot of unfinished business with. 'Nuff said, on with the show!

**Chapter 2: Reviving The Ball**

"This is just sick, man," said Aiden as he, Tess, Riku, Kairi and Sora finished reading the files that Queen Minnie gave them, "thirty-seven dead and another forty missing at The Castle of Dreams, thirty-three dead and fifty missing at Dwarves Woods, and thirty-one dead and seventy-two on The Enchanted Dominion. So many missing and all those murder victims, and the way they died, it's just wrong."

"Every dead body was burned almost beyond recognition that some cases not even dental records could identify them," said Riku, "that they were burned somewhere else, then left in the middle of a public area, with no one seeing who dumped the bodies."

"What I don't get is why?" Tess asked, "these are random, everyday people; men women, sometimes children, all of them with out a major common factor linking them together. It's as if the murderers just grabbed the victims off the streets, had their horrible way with them and dumped them back onto the streets."

"How did they get away with it?" Kairi asked, "how could they have dropped a charred body in the middle of a street or a park and walked away without anyone seeing them do it? And there's still the missing persons; what happened to them? What horrible things did the murderers do to them? And are they still alive?"

"There's also the question of what drives them to do it in the first place," Riku, "find the motive and you'll find the killer."

"I always thought that evidence was the key to catching a criminal," said Aiden, "no matter how smart an unsub, no matter how well they clean up after themselves, they always leave a shred of evidence that leads to their capture."

"Well, we'll figure it out when we get there," said Sora. He then looked at the computer display, "and we should be at the first stop right now.

A minute later _The Star Child _exited hyperspace and assumed orbit around a dark blue world with a large, sky blue castle.

"That's where Cinderella lives?" Aiden asked.

"It looks that way," said Kairi, "wait, what's that?" she pointed to a large metal structure in geosynchronistic orbit around the blue world, that was connected to the world by another metal structure like a metal tube going all the way down to the surface of the world.

"I could be wrong, but that looks like a space elevator," said Riku, "a facility built to transport people and materials from the surface of a world to space and vice versa without needing a starship to land and blast off. The money saved on fuel alone would end up paying for the whole thing before too long. And the orbital terminal itself has the potential for money in terms of tourism, shopping and restaurants."

"Why?" Sora asked, "why go through the trouble of building a space elevator when you can just use the transporter?"

"Not all starships have transporter systems," said Kairi, "come to think of it, this ship doesn't have one."

"We left port without a transporter?" Sora asked, "what if we need to get off the ship in a hurry? What if there's an emergency?"

"That's what escape pods are for," said Aiden.

"Am I the only one who misses Sidney and _The Intrepid Heart_?" Tess asked in a slightly depressed tone, "she and the ship were the best."

"I miss them too," said Kairi.

"The sooner we solve this mystery, the sooner we'll go to Radiant Garden," said Aiden, "and complain to Cid for working so slow. It's been months and he's still working on the ship."

"That's no reason to rush the investigation," said Riku.

"I know that," said Aiden, "but honestly, I want my game room back! And I miss the big kitchen, even if it means doing our own cooking and cleaning."

"Well I don't miss your cooking," said Tess.

"What's wrong with my cooking?" Aiden asked.

"Nothing," said Tess, "except that everything you make tastes like paper."

"Excuse me?" Aiden asked.

"Your cooking is bland, Aiden," said Sora, "I'm sorry, but it is."

"Bland?" Aiden asked, "are you sure? No, don't answer that. I'll prove that my cooking isn't bland."

"That's not necessary," said Kairi.

"Oh, but it is," said an eager Aiden, "I'm going to handle the cooking from now on, all of it, breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks. Just you wait, you'll never complain about my cooking again!"

"I think you created a monster," said Riku to Tess.

"I didn't meant too," said Tess sheepishly.

The ship then headed for the orbital terminal of the space elevator. An official from the orbital terminal called the ship over the radio and Sora asked for permission to dock. After a while, the official granted our heroes a three-day permit to dock and visit the world. Riku piloted The Star Child to a docking hatch and the ship connected to the orbital terminal.

Our heroes waited at the airlock for pressure to equalize and opened the hatch. They found themselves inside the orbital terminal, which resembled a futuristic train station. The station had hundreds of people moving around, some of them coming from other docked starships to wait their turn to ride the elevator down to the world below, while others were getting off the elevator and waiting for clearance to board their ships and leave.

The station also had a lot of shops; souvenir stands, news stands, restaurants and bards, as well as bookstores and internet cafés.

"This place is kinda weird," said Sora, "I mean, this is the world where Cinderella lives, so why is there a space station in orbit?"

"It's a space elevator," said Riku, "and yes, it is weird."

"We'll ask Cinderella when we see her," said Kairi.

But there was one thing holding our heroes from seeing Cinderella; the line at the space elevator. Not only where there over a hundred people already in front of them, the elevators themselves could only hold twenty people at a time and came only twice an hour, so our heroes had to take a number, meaning a pager from the elevator control counter, go wait in one of the cafés, while Riku and Tess went to the bookstore, and waited for their turn for nearly three hours, and when their elevator finally came, they had to share it with fifteen other people, whom consisted of three families that each had several screaming kids.

And the ride down to the world itself lasted for almost four hours as the elevator hurtled down at well past mach 3, each moment having to listen to all those screaming kids was an agony for them, like a rusty drill boring into their skulls. Roxas and Naminé didn't mind, having returned to Sora and Kairi, but the rest of our heroes weren't so fortunate.

But finally the elevator reached the surface of the world.

"Thank the gods!" gasped Aiden as the elevator slit to a stop and the door opened up, revealing a similar futuristic train station.

"Next time we borrow a Gummy Ship," said Riku, "we're getting one with a transporter.

They exited the station and fond themselves in the middle of a large town bustling with people from not only this world but others. Horse-drawn carriages mingled with hovering automobiles. Yet all the people in the streets had a look of fear about them, a fear that was only mildly alleviated. City guardsmen were posted at regular intervals in the streets, keeping watch for any sign of wrongdoing, yet they too were afraid of the terror plaguing the world.

"Are you sure we're in the right place?" Tess asked.

"We are," said Kairi as she smiled brightly, "this is Cinderella's home world, I know it."

"Well, I suppose that big castle over there is proof enough," said Aiden.

_…The Castle of Dreams…_

At that Roxas popped out of Sora, "its pretty big alright."

"So what now?" Aiden asked.

"We go see Cinderella, of course," said Sora.

"Easier said than done," said Kairi.

"Why?" Sora asked, "it's not like we're total strangers, so let's go."

They proceeded through the streets of the town towards the castle and approached the white gates of the complex, but when they got there, they found that the gates were barred by uniformed guards armed with pikes.

"I knew it wouldn't be that easy," said Kairi.

"They must be on alert from all the deaths and disappearances," said Riku.

"Well that's no excuse to keep us out," said Sora, "we're the good guys," he then walked up to the guards at the gate, "we want to see Cinderella."

"No one sees Princess Cinderella," said one of the guards in a brisk and stern tone, "by orders of her husband, Prince Charming."

"But we know Cinderella," said Sora, "I helped save her life a while back."

"And we're friends of Sora," said Riku, while Aiden and Tess nodded in agreement.

"No admittance, whatsoever," said another guard, "we're in the middle of a crisis here."

"Look, we were sent here to solve the crisis," said Aiden, "just let us see Cinderella and we'll get right to work."

"No one sees the princess!" barked the first guard, "not nobody! Not no how!"

"Oh, for crying out loud!" said an exasperated Kairi, "just call the castle and tell Cinderella that Sora and Kairi are here, she'll see us."

"No admittance!" said the second guard.

"Do we really have time for this crap?" Tess asked to Sora and the others in hushed tone. She then looked at the guards as she started to pull out her razor, when Riku grabbed her arm and stopped her from opening the razor.

"Don't!" hissed Riku, "we're the good guys here. You'll only make things worse by slicing those guards up."

At that Tess was slightly taken aback, "Who said anything about slicing them up?" she asked in a mildly offended tone, "I just want to carve a little 'Z' into their foreheads," she then laughed, "just kidding, I'm only going to scare them a bit."

"I don't think that'll be needed," said Kairi. She then walked right up to the guards, "now, gentlemen, do be so kind as to inform Cinderella that the Keyblade Wielders are here to stop these horrible murders and disappearances."

"No one sees the princess!" said the second guard, "not no body, not no how!"

"Okay, that does it," said Tess as she pulled out her razor again, "it's 'Z' carving time!"

"Why a 'Z?'" Sora asked

"Why not?" Tess asked.

But then a young woman who looked to be in her early 20's with shoulder' length honey-blond hair and blue eyes, wearing a sensible blue and white dress and blue shoes, approached the gates, flanked by four more guards, "it's alright," she said to the guards at the gates, "these are my friends, let them in."

"Princess Cinderella!" said both guards as they stood at attention like a pair of flagpoles. They then opened the gates.

"I'm sorry about that, Sora," said Cinderella as our heroes passed through the gates, "what with all the murders and disappearances, Robert insisted on increasing security."

"Who's Robert?" Sora asked.

"Her husband, you lazy bum!" said Kairi, "Prince Charming."

"I know, it's a little confusing," said Cinderella, "but we get by just fine. So how have you been? I heard you saved the realms for the third time."

"Well," said Sora, "yeah, we kinda did."

It was then that Cinderella then saw Roxas, "Ven? Ventus? Is that you?"

"Uh, not exactly," said Roxas, "I'm kind of Ven's brother, more or less."

"Ven's kind of missing," said Sora, "we've got friends looking for him, more or less."

"But he's safe," said Roxas, "I know it, somehow."

"Well, if you say he's alright," said Cinderella, "then I believe it."

"What's with the space elevator?" Aiden asked abruptly, "it's a good idea, but why build it?"

"It was all Robert's idea," said Cinderella, "part of expanding the kingdom's economy and trade with other worlds. And it worked; building the space elevator gave thousands of people much needed jobs, and so does running it, and it's generated more money than the kingdom has ever seen. We've got other ideas in the works."

Cinderella's face then darkened with worry, "but all our hard work may be all for nothing. The people are afraid of whomever or whatever's behind these horrible deeds, and unless the vile ones are stopped, then it's only a matter of time before fear will become panic and things will degrade into an all out mob for the people."

"We'll stop those murdering bastards!" said Kairi, "that's what we're here to do."

"I know you will," said Cinderella, "but everyone feels so helpless, it's only worse that all the murders and disappearances have ruined something that would make everyone feel better."

"What do you mean?" Sora asked

"It's bad enough that so many have died and that more are missing," said Cinderella, "but it's worse, since tomorrow night is when Robert and I were supposed to celebrate our 10th anniversary with a grand ball at the castle."

"It's your 10th anniversary?" Kairi asked.

"Actually, it's our 12th anniversary," said Cinderella, "our real 10th anniversary was ruined when Maleficent had me kidnapped. We tried to have the celebration the next year, but then the whole mess with Organization XIII ruined that as well, and if you guys hadn't stopped Maleficent and Gideon from destroying reality, then…well…we wouldn't be in the middle of the current crisis.

"But now with all the murders and disappearances, and with the city guard unable to stop them, then it wouldn't be right to hold a celebration during these dark days."

"Are you nuts!" exclaimed Sora, "it is right to have the celebration."

"If you call off your anniversary party for the third time in a row, you might as well forget about the whole thing altogether," said Kairi, 'and if you call it off now while some lunatic or lunatics are running amuck, they'll think they've got power over you, that they can scare you out of a night of happiness."

"We'll figure out who's behind these horrible things," said Tess, "and you'll get your anniversary ball. There's just one problem; I've got noting to wear."

"Me neither," said Naminé as she popped out of Kairi, startling Aiden and Tess

"Are you going to keep doing that until you give me a heart attack?" exclaimed an irate Aiden.

"Nope," said Roxas as he popped out of Sora, "just until you get used to it."

"Keep dreaming, pal," muttered Tess. She looked at Kairi, "you've got nothing to wear either, right?"

"Maybe so," said Kairi in a contemplating tone, "or maybe not," she then reached into her pocket, "I think…" she then pulled out a small green box, "I did bring it!"

"What is that?" Sora asked.

"You remember one of the wizards who came with Harry and Teddy?" Kairi asked, "I talked with one of them before they went back to Hogwarts, Hermione, and she taught me a very interesting charm to expand the inside of containers, such as a handbag or a wardrobe, and also a shrinking spell, along with its counterspell," she then summoned her Keyblade, placed the box on the ground and tapped it with her Keyblade. The box then grew to the size of a small wardrobe. Kairi then opened the wardrobe, took out a white clothes bag on a hanger, shrunk the wardrobe and placed it back in her pocket.

"Now that's handy," said an impressed Aiden, while Tess and Riku nodded in agreement.

"What's that?" Sora asked, pointing at the clothes bag.

"Remember our little excursion on that pirate world?" Kairi asked, "the one with Luffy and the Straw Hat Crew? And the island we stopped at for supplies for The Going Merry? I bought something on that island," she held up the white plastic on the hanger, "and I finally remembered to bring it with me."

"Oh yeah," said Sora as he remembered, "but why bring it now?"

At that Kairi shrugged her shoulders, "just in case, I guess." she looked at the plastic-covered dress, "but, it's been a while since I got it, and after everything that's happened since, I haven't had a chance to wear it at all, or even check to see if it still fits."

"It'll fit, if I have anything to say about it," said Cinderella, "come with me and I'll make sure that you look your absolute best for tomorrow night."

"You'll help me with this?" Kairi asked.

"Of course," said a smiling Cinderella, "we princesses of heart have to stick together."

"You got that right," said Kairi.

"That still doesn't help me and Tess," said Naminé.

"Tell you what," said Sora as he pulled out a huge pouch full of munny, "go shopping, my treat."

"You're too good to us, Sora," said a very happy Tess as she pocketed the munny pouch.

"With such a huge budget," said Naminé, "we'll find something fantastic."

"We'd better do some shopping too," said Aiden, "I wonder if this world has a tuxedo rental store?"

"We'll find something," said Riku.

"In that case," said Sora as he pulled out another munny pouch, "we'd better hit the town." He looked at Cinderella, "we'll be back later to talk about the horrible stuff."

"But right now, we've got some cash to spend," said Roxas.

"I know," said Kairi, "and I'll see you later tonight."

With that Sora, Riku, Tess, Roxas, Aiden and Naminé returned to the town to spend their hard earned munny, while Kairi went with Cinderella to the castle. But then Tess turned around and walked right up to the guards at the gate, "you guys had better remember us when we come back," she then pulled out her razor again, "otherwise I'm carving some Z's tonight!" she then pocketed her razor and ran after Riku and the others.

* * *

_…London…Another Earth…_

"So it'll be the usual team format," said Rita as she and her twin prepared for their journey to another universe in pursuit of their mortal enemy, "half human, half esper."

"They've got everything balanced out," said Reina as she and Rita packed up for the mission, their luggage consisting of a set of form fitting combat suits, hers being blue and Rita's being red, that contoured to their distinct physical assets and allowed freedom of movement, yet were completely bullet and knife proof, as well as combat knives, crossbows and bolts, and other things needed to vanquish monsters.

"They've got a telepath," said Rita, "a telekinetic, an empath, one with far sight, and they're even brining in the Necroscope."

"That one creeps me out a bit," said Reina, "I mean, speaking with the dead, that's just wrong."

"Just what is right in this world that we've found ourselves in?" Rita asked, "and here's what's definitely wrong; our fearless leader for the mission."

"What's wrong with him?" Reina asked as she smiled mischievously, "other than the fact that he keeps trying to pick you up?"

"That idiot may be the best at what he does," said Rita irately, "but he thinks more with his dick than with his brain."

"Only when he's around you," said Reina, "and only when off the clock. Other than that, he's fine, and so are the rest of the special ops guys."

"E-Branch draws from the best of the best," said Rita, "Navy Seals, Green Berets, Delta Force, CIA, NSA, and that's just America. They've got men and women brought in from MI6, Royal Marines, GSG9, Spetznaz, Israeli Commandos, you name any organization that specializes in covert operations, they've brought in heroes from them.

"But this guy, this pig of a man, why did they have to hire him?"

"Because Guy Ellington is the best there is," said Lancaster Lawrence as he walked up to the twins, "despite his flaws. Everyone at E-Branch is flawed one way or another," he pointed at his missing eye with his artificial hand.

"Yeah, well," said an annoyed Rita, "he's still a pig."

"If you would just come off your high hors for a moment," said Reina as she and her twin finished packing, "you'd realize that Guy Ellington is a great catch. I mean, I'd do him."

"You'd do any man whom catches your eye," said Rita.

"And yet you still love me," said Reina in a teasing manner.

At that Rita relaxed a bit and smiled, "yes, I love you, dear sister," she then placed her hands on Reinas' shoulders, "I love you so much."

"I love you more," said Reina as she and her twin embraced and kissed passionately.

"Ahem!" said Lancaster Lawrence in a dry, disapproving tone, "I've made quite a few allowances for the two of you, and you do enjoy a lot of freedom here at E-Branch, so long as you keep your personal affections for each other behind closed doors."

"Oh come on, boss," teased Reina, "twin lovers, you've got to want some of this action."

"Not this year," muttered Rita.

"I happen to be happily married, thank you very much," said Lancaster Lawrence, "now, if you don't mind, we do have a schedule to keep."

"Yeah, yeah," said Reina, 'we know; find Zerlina before she comes back with another family."

They then went to a large staging area deep inside the complex. Thirteen people; Seven women and six men, were already there. Half of them wore camouflage-style jackets and pants, with their equipment consisting of various styles of swords, axes and spears, as well several flame thrower units and extra accelerant. These were the ones recruited from the worlds' special ops organizations.

The other half wore civilian clothing and carried crossbows and extra bolts. These were the psychics.

"Why can't we have guns on this mission?" Rita asked.

"Guns didn't work on Zerlina and her family, remember?" Reina asked, "they can deflect bullets, even silver bullets."

"But not crossbow bolts?" Rita asked, "come come they work?"

"Something about how the slower speed of a crossbow bolt or arrow can penetrate the energy barrier," said one of the psychics, a woman in her early 20's with short brown hair and blue eyes, with medium skin tone and an eagle-shaped birthmark on the left side of her neck, smiled at the twins. She wore a green jacket over a brown shirt, blue jeans and brown boots. "It's confusing, I know, but that's how it works with this type of monster." She looked at the twins, "I was hoping you two would be in on this," she said with a smile.

"Cassie," said a happily grinning Reina, "we were hoping you'd be there as well."

"Thought I'm not sure your power would help against Zerlina," said Rita, "I mean, you talk to the dead, Cassie Nightingale, and Zerlina is…"

"I know she's not in my field of expertise," said Cassie Nightingale, "but being able to speak with the dearly departed can always help. One of Zerlina's victims might know something that could defeat the crazy bitch once and for all."

"We can only help," said a strong male voice. Approaching the group was a man in his late 20's in camouflage, with short black hair, gray eyes and dark skin.

"Mr. Ellington," said Lancaster Lawrence, "Guy, thank you for coming."

"Any chance to fight this type of enemy, boss," said the man, Guy Ellington," he then looked at Cassie, "Ms. Nightingale," then he looked at the twins, "Reina, Rita."

"Hi, Guy!" said an eager Reina, while Rita stubbornly looked away.

"Now that you all are here," said Lancaster Lawrence, "and that you've been briefed on The Realms of Light and it's recent troubles, and of Zerlina, of course, you're ready to go."

He then indicated a platform with two golden pylons connected to a series of computers and power generators, "in a few moments the gateway will open and transport you to The Realms of Light." He then held up a blackberry, "this unit has a very special app. When you find Zerlina and destroy her and her new family, assuming she's gotten that far by now, the unit will send a signal back to this world, telling us to open the portal. The unit will act as a homing beacon and we will reopen the gate and bring you home. Any questions?'

"Yes, I've got a question," said a young girl's voice. Approaching the staging area in a wheelchair was a girl, about 16, with Asian features and wearing a yellow blouse and green skirt and high-heeled sandals. She had long black hair and coal black eyes, which were highly cross and angrily looking at Lancaster Lawrence.

"I have a question for you, boss," said the girl, "why am I not on the mission?"

"You know full well why you're not on the mission, Yukie Parker," said Lancaster Lawrence.

"Let us handle this, boss," said Reina in a placating tone, "she's our friend after all."

"If you want me to complain to you two, I'm more than happy," said an irate Yukie Parker, "well?"

"You know why you can't come, Yukie," said Rita.

"But you need me," said Yukie, "I know more about this type of evil than anyone else on the planet."

"I know," said Rita, "but this mission won't be on the planet."

"It's not that we don't think you can't handle yourself," said Reina, "you've made amazing progress since the accident."

"I know how far I've come," said Yukie, "but why can't I go? I can handle myself on another world."

"It's not that we don't want you," said Rita, "but it's not our call."

"The boss said that you'd only be a liability to the mission," said Reina, "we didn't like it, but he wouldn't change his mind."

"How the hell am I a liability?" Yukie asked with her arms crossed. She glared at Lancaster Lawrence, "if this is because I can't walk, then I ought to sue you for discrimination. I am perfectly capable of going on a field mission."

"It's not because of your disability," said Lancaster Lawrence, "there are legitimate reasons why you cannot be a part of this mission."

"Name one," said an irate Yukie.

"Well," said Lancaster Lawrence, "you're still having psychological issues from your accident."

"Psychological issues?" Yukie asked in an outraged tone, "the shrinks said that I don't have PTSD. I'm over what happened to me. Now, I'm going on this mission even if I have to crawl to this other world, and carry my wheelchair and computer on my back"

"Oh please," said Rita, "you were so traumatized by what happened, Reina and I are the only ones whom can get you to calm down when you're riled up."

"And when you do get riled up," said Reina, "when you're having one of your temper tantrums, you can be very unreasonable and reckless, like you're being right now."

"No I'm not," Yukie said stubbornly.

"Oh yes you are," said Reina in a justified tone, "and those are the last qualities you want to have when going against a monster like Zerlina."

"If you come with us to fight Zerlina," said Rita, "you'll die, I just know it, not because you're in a wheelchair, but because you're the first Zerlina will go after and kill, and I'd never forgive myself if that horrible bitch killed you, or worse, made you part of her family."

"I'd never let myself become part of her family," said Yukie, "I'd burn her before she even touched me. I've gotten pretty good with a flamethrower; I can take Zerlina down."

"But not before you put yourself and the rest of the team at serious risk," said Reina, "I'm sorry, but that's how it is."

"But I'll be lonely without you girls," said Yukie in a remorseful tone, "I…I'll miss you. You're like the big sisters I never had."

"We'll miss you too," said Rita, "and being an only child does suck, but you have to stay here."

"Next mission, Yukie," said Reina, "next mission, especially if it's on this world."

At that Yukie looked like she was really going to lose her temper and start shouting obscenities. But instead she calmed down somewhat, "do you swear? I'll go with you on the next mission?"

"We swear," said both Reina and Rita at the same time.

"Alright," said a much calmer Yukie, "I'll stay and behave," she then glared at Lancaster Lawrence, "you'd better keep your end of the bargain, pal, or else."

"I'll see what I can do," said Lancaster Lawrence, "now, don't you have your own projects to finish?"

"I've got those irons sitting in the fire," said Yukie, "oh, that reminds me," she then looked at the twins, "it probably is a good thing that I'm staying after all. In a while, you'll be seeing me in a new light."

"What do you mean?" Rita asked cautiously, "what are you up to?"

"You'll find out soon enough," said Yukie as she smiled mischievously. "Well, good luck, and come back safe."

"We will," said the twins at the same time. They then hugged Yukie and the wheelchair-bound girl pushed herself out of the room.

"Makes you wonder," muttered one of the male special ops to one of the male espers, "just how good the twins are friends with that girl genius."

"She's smarter than the rest of us put together," said one of the espers, "and that was before she was in a wheelchair."

"And she's cute too," said one of the special ops, "but I wouldn't mind a piece of the twins, if you know what I mean."

"Me too," whispered the male esper.

"I heard that!" snapped Rita as she angrily glared at the two men, "just remember one thing," she cracked her knuckles, "the last man to make a pass at me and my sister, wound up with two black eyes," she looked at Guy Ellington, "how are your eyes, by the way?"

"Back to normal, thank you," said Guy Ellington, "and my invitation still stands; a weekend in Venice."

"I told you before and I'll tell you again! Never!" spat Rita as she held up her fist, "unless you want your teeth knocked out this time."

"Enough!" shouted Lancaster Lawrence, "this petty bantering is counter productive to the mission, or have you forgotten how much you hate Zerlina."

"As if we'll forget," said Reina.

"Zerlina," said Rita as she pulled out her locket and gripped it tight, "she has to pay." She then looked at Guy Ellington, "I'm willing to work with you to destroy Zerlina once and for all, but remember, keep your hands and words to yourself."

"I'll remember," said Guy Ellington, "so long as you remember that I only extended the hand of friendship."

"Keep dreaming, buster," said Rita.

"If you're all quite finished," said Lancaster Lawrence, "we can open the gate."

The computers activated and the golden pylons lit up. Silver lightning began arcing between the pylons and with a bright flash, a portal opened up.

One by one the team members walked through the gateway, with the twins hanging back to go last.

"This is it," said Rita, "we're going to finish Zerlina for good, or die trying."

"We are going to beat her and come back," said Reina, "I've no intention of dieing."

"Me neither," said Rita, "but I'm afraid that if we can't destroy Zerlina, then we won't be coming back, so we might as well be prepared for the worst."

"And hope for the best," said Reina. She then gave her sister an assuring smile, "oh come on, sis, it's not that bad."

"It's bad for me," said Rita as she gripped her locket tight, then pocketed it. She then looked at Lancaster Lawrence, "if the worst should happen, take care of Yukie, and I mean treat her well. If she's mistreated in any way, I'll come back and haunt you to your grave."

"She will be made happy, somehow," said Lancaster Lawrence, 'god speed, you two."

"Thanks," said Reina. She took her twin's hand and together they walked into the portal, which closed up after them.

* * *

_…The Castle of Dreams…_

"I can't believe this," said an annoyed Tess as she and Naminé walked through the town streets, "dozens of dress shops and nothing that I liked," she then looked at Naminé, "where as you, you definitely need to work on impulse control."

"I have no idea what you're talking about," said Naminé, "wait, you mean these, right?" she happily held up the dozen shopping bags in her hands, "just because I saw a sale here and there, doesn't mean I've got a spending problem."

"Whatever," said Tess. She then looked up and saw that there was only an hour or a half of daylight left, "it's getting late. We ought to be getting back with the others."

"You're worried about being out by ourselves after dark," said Naminé,

"I've been alone in the dark more often than not," said Tess, "I can handle myself in a fight, but I'd be happier of we all were together to face this evil," she looked at Naminé, "look, I'm going to check out one or two more stores and head back to the castle. You go on ahead, I'll be back before sunset."

"Are you sure?" Naminé asked, "I don't mind hanging around a bit longer."

"Well, there's one problem with that," said Tess as she pulled out her munny pouch, which resembled a frog and was bulging with currency, "I've still got cash, where as you've used up your half of what Sora gave us."

Naminé then pulled out her munny pouch, which happened to look like a felt piggy bang and was quite empty. She looked at her munny pouch with disappointed eyes, "I like you better when you're fat," she said to the pouch in a mildly depressed tone, then looked at Tess, "alright, I'll go catch up with the others, but please get back before sunset, I don't like the idea of you being alone in the dark."

"I appreciate the concern," said Tess, "but I'll be fine, I'm only going to check out another store or so, and I'll only just take a quick look around in each. If I don't find anything I like after ten minutes or so in each, I'll head back to the castle."

"Alright," said Naminé, "but if you're not back in more than half an hour, I'm sending the boys after you."

"Fair enough," said Tess. With that Naminé headed back towards the castle, leaving Tess to continue through the shopping district. She looked at her munny pouch, "yep, you're cute when you're chubby, aren't you, froggy?" she then happily pocketed her munny pouch.

The next store she looked at had a few designs she liked, but the colors weren't to her taste.

As she headed towards the last store on her agenda, Tess found her path barred by a strange woman wearing a gray cloak. The woman was slightly shorter than Tess, with graying brown hair down past her shoulders and silver eyes that had a slight glow to them. She seemed to be in her mid to late 40's.

"Going to buy a dress now, dearie?" the woman asked.

"No, I thought I'd just hang around for the rest of the day and talk to you," said Tess in a sarcastic tone, "wait, how did you know what I'm doing?"

"Why else would a pretty lass be in this part of town?" the woman asked, "you're going to the princess' anniversary ball."

"That's the plan," said Tess in a cautious tone, "is there something I can do for you? I'm kind of in a hurry."

"Only to warn you, child," said the woman, "it's not safe to be out and about after dark these days," she gestured at the sidewalks and streets, and Tess saw that there were far fewer people about and the ones that were still outside were frequently looking up, keeping a careful watch on how low the sun was in the sky.

"I already know the danger," said Tess, "but I can take care of myself."

"I'm sure you can, dearie," said the woman, "but do be careful regardless, many a young one thought themselves safe at night, and now they're either dead or missing."

"Well, my friends and I are here to stop these horrible things happening," said Tess, "now, if you don't mind, I need to check out this one more store before it gets dark."

"Then I won't stand in your way, lass," said the woman, "good fortune to you and your companions."

"Thanks, I guess," said Tess as the woman walked away. Tess then turned to walk into the store.

But then the woman shouted after her, "I almost forgot to tell you, dearie; Alegra says hello."

At that Tess stopped in her tracks, "what? Wait!" she turned around, "do you know Alegra?" but the woman wasn't there. Tess looked up and down the street, but it was as if the woman had vanished into this air.

"Uh…okay," said Tess in a confused tone, "that was weird." She then turned around and walked into the shop.

"May I help you?" the shopkeeper, a girl in her early 20's asked, with shoulder length mahogany colored hair and hazel eyes, wearing a blue linen blouse and skirt, "let me guess, you're looking for something to wear to the ball."

"Is it that obvious?" Tess asked. "Yes, I need something for the ball," she then looked at the various gowns on display.

"Have you anything in mind?" the shopkeeper asked.

"Uh…not really," said Tess, "I'm not that into fashion, but I'm willing to open my mind for the ball."

"Well, let's start with the color," said the shopkeeper, "you strike me as someone whom would look best in orange and blue. As for your measurements…" she then pulled out a measuring tape.

"Well," said Tess hesitantly, "I…really don't have that much time…"

"Nonsense," said the shopkeeper as she walked over to Tess, "there's still plenty of daylight left. Now, hold still, this won't take long." She then took Tess' measurements and jotted them down on a piece of parchment.

She then walked around the displays and found something, a single shoulder dress in orange and blue, "perhaps this one?"

"Not really," said Tess.

"Never mind that," said the shopkeeper, "I've never failed to make a sale yet."

"How long have you been working here?" Tess asked.

"About two months," said the shopkeeper, "just opened then. Now, what to do for you? I'll find your dress yet."

After a while, the shopkeeper found a dress style that Tess found to her liking; it was black and gold, short sleeved with a ruffled midriff and a slightly low front. When Tess tried it on, she found it was a little too big for her.

"Not to worry," said the shopkeeper, "at this establishment, all sizes fit all."

Tess then felt a spark of magic pass through the dress and as she watched her reflection in a full-length mirror, the dress shrunk slightly, making it a perfect fit.

"How did you do that?" an amazed Tess asked as she looked at her reflection.

"It's a simple spell," said the shopkeeper, "I come from a long line of weather witches. My mother wanted to go into herbology and weather forecasting, the family traditions, but I've always had a taste for fashion, so here I am. Are you happy with the dress?"

"It's wonderful!" said a joyful Tess, "I'll take it!"

"Smashing," said the shopkeeper as she smiled happily. She then gave the price, which Tess happily paid and placed the dress in a plastic hanger bang to keep it clean.

"Thank you so much," said Tess.

"Thank you for stepping into my shop," said the shopkeeper, "and if you're ever in the neighborhood and need another fantastic outfit," she then handed Tess a business card, "or just want to come in and talk, feel free to come."

"'Penny Dubois,'" said Tess as she read the name on the card, "I'm glad to have met you." She then gave the shopkeeper her name.

"I'm glad to have met you too, Tess Thatcher," said Penny Dubois, "merry met, merry part and merry meet again."

"Likewise," said Tess. With that she headed for the door and saw just how late it was, "good grief! It's almost sundown!"

Penny Dubois looked out the window and saw that it was nearly dark, "oh no," she said in a worried tone, "I've kept you here too long. It's not safe to be out at night."

"I know," said Tess, "I need to get back to my friends."

"I'd offer to a place to stay for the night," said Penny Dubois, "there's been so many deaths and disappearances."

"I may not look like it," said Tess, "but I'm here to help put a stop to all of that," she looked outside at the growing darkness, "but it won't help if I'm out there all alone," she looked at Penny Dubois, "I do hope we'll see each other again, and thanks for the dress."

"Thank you for being such a satisfied customer," said Penny Dubois, "and do be careful."

"I always try to be," said Tess. With that she left the shop.

Tess looked up at the sky and immediately knew she was in trouble. The sun had just finished clearing the horizon and the sky was darkening into twilight. Tess realized that she was the only one on the streets; not even a guardsman was within sight, which was both illogical and reasonable, since any criminal out and about would be crazy to do so during the current crisis, and that would make them just as dangerous as the ones causing the current terror.

"Crap!" exclaimed Tess as she hurried through the streets towards the castle. She then sent a telepathic call to Riku, _:Hey, Riku? I got held up.:_

_:What happened?:_ Riku demanded, _:You should have let some of us know you were still out! I've been worried sick! Where are you?:_

:_Still in the shopping district: _said Tess_, :And I'm sorry that I've been trying to find something for the ball that you'll like me in.:_

_:I like you regardless,: _said Riku, _:Look, just be careful. We'll come and get you.:_

:_Right,_: said Tess. She then hurried towards a nearby street lamp and waited under its illumination.

But then she heard a rustling from behind her. She looked at saw nothing in the dimness. She then heard more rustling from her side, but when she looked, there was nothing.

"Who's there?" she asked nervously, "stop playing around! Come out so I can see you!"

She then heard something rush past her from behind, "cut it out!" she shouted as she whirled around, summoning her Keyblade with her free hand. "You'd better back off, our you're in for a world of hurt!"

She then heard the rushing again behind her and was too late to see it when she turned around, "I mean it! Stop messing with me, or else!"

Just then something flew past her head, something that turned out to be a rock, that hit the streetlight and knocked it out, plunging Tess into gloomy darkness.

Fortunately for her, Tess had great night vision from hear years as a vigilante. She quickly adjusted to the sudden darkness, just in time to see a pair of glowing red eyes attacked to a head of a man that had a mouth full of fangs, lunge towards her.

Tess dodged the creature and struck it with her Keyblade, knocking it to the ground, but it quickly got up, shrugging the blow off and lunged at her again.

Tess struck it across the chest, knocking it down again but it quickly got back up. It rushed at her and this time it pushed her to the ground. She tried to get back up, but the creature had turned around and jumped at her, its fangs, and clawed hands ready to rip her to shreds.

Tess then did the only thing she could do; she brought her Keyblade up and allowed gravity to impale the creature through the heart as it fell down on her. The creature gave a gurgle of pain and went limp.

"That's what you get when you mess with me, jerk," said Tess as she pushed the creature off of her, "now," she then pulled her Keyblade out from the thing, "what are you?"

But the second she pulled her Keyblade from the creature's heart, it started to get back up again.

"Oh you've got to be kidding me!" snapped Tess as the creature finished getting up, "no you don't!" she then swung her Keyblade at its head, decapitating it.

But even as the body and severed head fell to the ground, the body was still moving, not in involuntary reflex, but as if it were still alive, period. While the head was still snapping its jaws.

_:Riku! Sora! Kairi! Aiden!: _Tess shouted mentally, _:Hurry!:_

_:What's wrong?: _Sora asked, _:What happened?:_

Just then Tess looked around and saw to her horror first one pair of red eyes, then another, and another and another and another, approaching her.

_:We've got a problem, guys: _said Tess, _:an undead problem. I could be wrong, but I think we've got a Wamphyri problem.:_

**The end of chapter 2.**

Next chapter finds our heroes facing the undead menace of The Wamphyri, while the twins and the E-Branch team settles in on the world., with the two groups meeting at the ball, just in time for unwelcome guests to crash. Reviews will be rewarded with cake and pie. See you next time!


	3. Chapter 3: A Dance Before Midnight

Last time found Sora and the gang arriving at The Castle of Dreams, home of Cinderella, where the rash of murders and disappearances threaten to cancel Cinderella's anniversary ball. Our heroes reassured her that they would be there to take care of the problem. Meanwhile, the supernaturally and physically endowed twins, Rein and Rita, met with their E-Branch team and left for the Realms of Light to battle the mysterious and insidious Zerlina.

Back on the Castle of Dreams, Tess was on her own mission to find the perfect dress for the ball, which she did, but wound up getting caught on the streets after dark, the time when the dark force responsible for the murders and disappearances was at work. 'Nuff said, on with the show!

**Chapter 3: A Dance Before Midnight**

Just then something flew past her head, something that turned out to be a rock, that hit the streetlight and knocked it out, plunging Tess into gloomy darkness.

Fortunately for her, Tess had great night vision from hear years as a vigilante. She quickly adjusted to the sudden darkness, just in time to see a pair of glowing red eyes attached to a head of a man that had a mouth full of fangs, lunge towards her.

Tess dodged the creature and struck it with her Keyblade, knocking it to the ground, but it quickly got up, shrugging the blow off and lunged at her again.

Tess struck it across the chest, knocking it down again but it quickly got back up. It rushed at her and this time it pushed her to the ground. She tried to get back up, but the creature had turned around and jumped at her, its fangs and clawed hands ready to rip her to shreds.

Tess then did the only thing she could do; she brought her Keyblade up and allowed gravity to impale the creature through the heart as it fell down on her. The creature gave a gurgle of pain and went limp.

"That's what you get when you mess with me, jerk," said Tess as she pushed the creature off of her, "now," she then pulled her Keyblade out from the thing, "what are you?"

But the second she pulled her Keyblade from the creature's heart, it started to get back up again.

"Oh you've got to be kidding me!" snapped Tess as the creature finished getting up, "no you don't!" she then swung her Keyblade at its head, decapitating it.

But even as the body and severed head fell to the ground, the body was still moving, not in involuntary reflex, but as if it were still alive, period. While the head was still snapping its jaws.

_:Riku! Sora! Kairi! Aiden!: _Tess shouted mentally, _:Hurry!:_

_:What's wrong?: _Sora asked, _:What happened?:_

Just then Tess looked around and saw to her horror first one pair of red eyes, then another, and another and another and another, approaching her.

_:We've got a problem, guys: _said Tess, :_an undead problem. I could be wrong, but I think we've got a Wamphyri problem.:_

_:Whamphyri?: _exclaimed Kairi, _:are you sure?:_

_:Dead sure,: _said Tess as the creatures began to close in,_ :And I hope I don't turn out dead myself.:_ She saw just how close the creatures were to her, _:hang on a second, I've got to save my own skin here!:_

Tess then jumped up as the creatures lunged in for the kill. She landed atop one and stabbed it in the head, dropping it like a fly.

She then jumped over to another creature and stabbed it through the eye, dropping it like a tone of bricks.

But then one of the creatures grabbed her left hand, the one holding the dress bag.

"Let go of me!" shouted Tess as she stabbed her Keyblade into the offending creatures' eye. It fell down, just two more ran up to grab her.

"Get away from me, you creepazoids!" shouted Tess as she stabbed one through the heart, then lopped off the head of another, but more and more kept coming. Tess then realized that not only were the creatures men, or at least looked like men, but there were also those that looked female.

Regardless of the sex of the creatures, Tess wasn't going to let them touch her, let alone her new dress. But then one of them grabbed the dress bag.

"Oh no you don't!" snapped Tess, "back away if you want to live!" The creature merely just growled, so Tess sliced off its hands, before taking the head off.

"Okay, enough screwing around!" said Tess. She then went invisible and evaded all of the creatures for several yards.

But then one of the creatures ran right up to Tess and tackled her, forcing her to become visible again.

"Get off of me!" snapped Tess as she struggled to get away from the creature, but it wouldn't let go. It then opened its mouth, exposing rows of razor sharp teeth and tried to bite her neck. Tess managed to block it with her Keyblade, but then it raised its claws to tear at her face.

Just then a fireball shot at the creature and set the creature alight. It howled in fury and agony as it jumped away from Tess, thrashing about in the street as the flames consumed it, burning it to ashes.

"Tess!" shouted Riku as he, Sora, Kairi, Aiden, Roxas and Naminé ran up to her.

"I'm alright," said Tess as she got back up brushing dirt off of the dress bag, "I'm fine, seriously."

"Are you sure?" Riku asked, "did that thing bite or scratch you?" he then looked her over to make sure.

"I said I'm fine," said Tess.

"Are you absolutely sure?" Aiden asked, "if that thing was a Wamphyri, the kind of vampire we fought on Metamore, then even a scratch can turn you into one of them."

"You want me to strip naked so you can do a full body search?" Tess asked, "I'll do it if it'll make you feel better."

"Not in the street," said Kairi as she looked and saw the handful of the creatures that Tess had damaged, the ones she decapitated, the ones she stabbed in the heart and the body parts of the ones she wounded, all of which were still moving or twitching.

"Are you sure they're Wamphyri?" Roxas asked.

"They don't look like Dmitry," said Sora, "that thing was all fur and looked part wolf and part bat.

"These things could almost pass as human," said Naminé, "minus the fangs and claws."

"Well they definitely wanted my blood," said Tess, "and I think we now know what's been happening to all the people here."

"Either killed outright or turned into an undead monster," said Riku.

"Uh, guys," said Aiden, "I think they're starting to pull themselves together."

Indeed, the ones that Tess stabbed in the heart were starting to get back up, while the ones she decapitated were crawling towards their severed heads.

"Not on my watch," said Roxas. He then aimed his Keyblades and shot fireballs at the undead creatures, setting them alight. They thrashed about as the fires consumed them to ash.

Sora then burned the limbs that had been cut off, "how many were there, Tess?"

"I don't know," said Tess, "I dropped seven, maybe there were a dozen altogether, maybe more."

"But there's still a lot more missing people," said Kairi, "there could be an army of monsters like Dmitry here on this world."

"You know, that's the thing," said Tess, "the things I fought, they weren't all that tough, no harder than a strong Heartless. Dmitry Frenzcy was on a whole other level."

"Maybe there's different types of Wamphyri," said Aiden, "some stronger than others."

"And smarter than others," said Tess, "I had the impression that the things had only my blood on their mind and very little of anything else, and they looked, well, young, like they had only recently became undead, while Dmitry was thousands of years old."

"I think we need to regroup and think things over," said Riku, "and we definitely need to tell Cinderella."

"Then there's not a moment to waste," said Sora, "let's go."

"Well, one good thing happened because of this," said Tess, "my new dress didn't get hurt."

"Oh, you found something for the ball?" Riku asked.

"It's something you're going to love," said Tess. She then looked back down the street towards the dress shop, "I just hope Penny's alright?"

"Who?" Riku asked.

"Never mind," said Tess, "Just a friend. What about you? You find something for the ball?" She then looked at Kairi, "and what about your dress?"

"Cinderella helped me get it fit," said Kairi, "wait till you see it, it's awesome."

"Not as awesome as what I got," said Naminé, "just wait until tomorrow night, it'll knock your socks off and then some."

"I can hardly wait," said Roxas.

With that they headed back to the castle, making sure to keep a watch for any undead abominations.

Unknown to our heroes, they were being watch by just such an undead abominations, hiding in the shadows and glaring at them with hateful red eyes.

* * *

"There's definitely a Wamphyri presence on this world," said one of the espers as the team from E-Branch set up headquarters in an abandoned warehouse in the middle of the town, "at least a score of Thralls and one Lieutenant."

"Any trace of a Wamphyri Lord?" one of the special ops asked.

"Never mind that," said Rita, "any sign of Zerlina?"

"I'm not sensing anything higher than a Lieutenant," said the esper, "then again, stronger Wamphyri have been known to mask their psychic energies."

"But there are vampires here," said another of the special ops as he polished the blade on an axe.

"More than enough for us," said the esper.

"Great," said Rita, "when do we hit the sewers?"

"How do you know they'll be in the sewers?" Reina asked, "just because we last fought Wamphyri in the sewers back on Earth doesn't mean that the ones on this world will be there. For all we know, they're hiding in basements."

"Or in a cemetery," said Guy Ellington, "some crypts have extensive underground chambers."

"No, they're not in the local graveyards," said Cassie Nightingale, "the dearly departed of this world, I…I can hear them. They lived such happy lives, most of them anyway. Now their minds go on; artists paint fantastic canvases and sculptors carve statures that resemble pure beauty, scientists expand their research and theories to dazzling heights, authors and playwrights dream of stories beyond mortal imagination, and those whom were in love in life are united forever in the great beyond."

"I thought the dead couldn't talk to each other without someone like you to get the ball rolling," said Reina.

"On our world yes," said Cassie, "before I acquired my Deadspeak and became a Necroscope, the eternal minds of The Great Majority were separated from each other. Once I began talking to them, they found that they could talk to each other. They were no longer alone in their graves.

"But here, in this universe of myth and magic, the minds of the dead have always been able to speak with each other for as long as there have been people on these worlds."

"Well, good for them," said Rita, "but what about the freaking vampires?"

"The dearly departed know of the abominations," said Cassie, "and they're afraid, for one of the undead monsters, the Lieutenant, is a Necromancer. That one has been violating the corpses of the recently dead for their secrets, but they've been staying away from those already buried, for some strange reason."

"Do they know where the nest is?" Guy asked.

"No," said Cassie, "that's the one thing they don't know. They are more than happy to help us, but they just don't know where to find the monsters."

"Then it's hunting time," said Rita.

"Well, there is one thing," said Cassie, "the Wamphyri are interested in an upcoming social event, a grand ball celebrating the anniversary of Cinderella's wedding to Robert, her Prince Charming."

"I'm still getting used to the fact that we're in a universe where fairytales are real," said Reina, "and a grand ball with Cinderella no less, it's like we've fallen into a story book." She then smiled eagerly.

"Oh no," said Rita, "I know that look. We're not gate crashing the party."

"Who said anything about gate crashing?" Reina asked, "the enemy is the ones going to crash Cinderella's ball, so we should be there to stop them."

"Infiltrate the ball," said Guy, "that sounds like it could work. When is this ball?"

"Tomorrow night," said Cassie.

"Never mind then," said Guy.

"Why not?" Reina asked.

"Yeah, why not?" Rita asked.

"First of all," said Guy, "we just got here. Second, we've got to start the search for the undead. Third, we can't just barge in on this party and explain to its holders that we're here to help, not that they would believe us. And fourth, we've got nothing to wear."

"We can always buy outfits," said Reina, "I mean, we've got the gold."

"You can thank the Boss for that," said Rita as she held up a pouch full of gold coins.

"And there's the fact that we don't have invitations to this ball," said Guy.

"Ahem!" said one of the espers, "this is what psychic paper is good for," she then held up a small object that looked like a passport book that was full of blank white paper.

"Trust me, Guy," said Reina, "this will turn out great for all of us."

"I wish I had your confidence," said Guy.

"Or is it something else," said Rita in a suspicious tone, "I personally think this is a good idea, despite getting all dressed up in frilly dresses, I'll probably going in drag just for spite, but regardless," she ran up to Guy and glared at him right in his face with accusing eyes, "why are you denying something that will make my sister happy? Not to mention put us in the best position to keep the people of this world safe."

"None of your business, you uncute tomboy!" snapped Guy, "I have my reasons!"

"He can't dance," said one of the espers.

At that Guy glared at the offending esper as he blushed heavily, "did you get that from my mind?"

"Everyone at E-Branch knows that," said one of the special ops.

"Not us," said Reina. She then gave Guy a reassuring smile, "don't worry, Guy, I'll teach you to dance."

"By tomorrow night?" Rita asked.

"I'll do my best," said Reina confidently.

"How are you going to do that while we're still searching for the vampires?" Cassie asked.

"I'll make it work," said Reina, "I'll help Guy Ellington dance, and together, we'll dance at Cinderella's ball!"

"Oh brother," sighed Rita, "you and your projects."

"He'll never survive," said one of the special ops.

* * *

…_in orbit around Radiant Garden…_

"We've reached our destination, commander Trepe," said the helmsman of The _Defiant._

"Ground control just gave us permission to land," said the communications officer.

"Excellent," said Quistis, "begin landing immediately," she then looked at Ansem, "well, old bear, we're here."

"Indeed," said Ansem, "let us hope that we can finish both our errands before too much time passes."

"It all depends on Squall," said Quistis, "it'll be a lot easier, setting up the new SeeD base on Radiant Garden, with his help. But what of your errand? Do you think…"

"If the worse were to happen," said Ansem, "I'll initiate the self destruct for the computer," said Ansem, "I'll save Tron if I can, but he would understand if I had to sacrifice him to destroy the evil one."

"Why haven't you used his name?" Quistis asked, "you've faced down and defeated not only Maleficent, Gideon and Chernabog, you stopped Xemnes from opening Kingdom Hearts. You helped save reality twice. All I did was help stop an insane sorceress from infinitely compressing time.

"After that, we all went our separate ways; Selphie, Irvine, Zell, myself, even Squall and Riona, their marriage only lasted a year before he just up and left, and it wasn't until last month that I've been able to track him down to Radiant Garden. I can only hope that time has healed whatever wounds that made him leave."

"Have you considered the possibility that you might just agitate those wounds by just being here?" Ansem asked, "that you might make him run away again?"

"It's a risk I'm willing to take," said Quistis.

A few minutes later the ship landed at the docking center near the Restoration Site. Quistis and Ansem left the ship and walked into the open daylight. They were met by Areith and Yuffie.

"Hey there, old man," said Yuffie in a cheerful tone, "wasn't expecting you back so soon."

"Any luck on finding the missing castle?" Areith asked.

"No luck yet," said Ansem, "Castle Oblivion remains a conundrum. But I've returned on a more immediate issue."

"Never mind that," said Quistis, "where's Squall?"

"Who's Squall?" Areith asked.

"Squall Lionhart?" Quistis asked.

"Ah, no, never heard of him," said Yuffie, while Areith shook her head.

"Big, tall, emo git with a big scar on his face and a big gun-blade, you know him?" Quistis asked.

"Oh, you mean Leon," said Yuffie, "well, why didn't you say so? He's at the castle. Come on."

"We've really made progress getting the world back together," said Areith, "electricity is back on in the castle and we've removed almost all the 'renovations' Maleficent made, and there's been nearly no sigh of Heartless or Nobodies since Sora and the others defeated Chernabog."

"And we've really made the whole place a lot prettier," said Yuffie as she indicated the town proper which they could see from the Restoration Site. The whole place looked much better in so many ways, "you'd be amazed what some paint, a few trees and flowers can do to make your home look that much brighter."

"It does look nice," said Quistis, "very nice," she then looked and saw a large empty lot near the middle of the town, "who do I have to talk to in order to buy that lot right there?"

"That one?" Areith asked, "we were going to turn it into a park."

"Whatever it would have cost to turn it into a park," said Quistis as she pulled out a checkbook, "I'll pay double."

"You're joking," said Yuffie.

"Do I look like I'm joking?" Quistis asked, "believe me, money is no question here."

"Wouldn't an already existing structure suffice for a SeeD Garden?" Ansem asked.

"You want to make it a garden?" Areith asked.

"She can build anything she wants there," said Yuffie in an eager tone, "so long as she's got the munny to back it up."

Just then the Gullwings, Yuna, Rikku and Paine, teleported onto the seen, "did someone say my favorite word?" Rikku asked eagerly as she and her fellow treasure fanatics hovered around Yuffie.

"I thought your favorite word was monkey," said Paine.

"That was yesterday's word," said Rikku.

"So, just how much are you willing to spend? Yuna asked Quistis.

"Aren't you abrupt," said Quistis, "well, to put it simply, as much as needed to get the new base set up. After all the insanity that's been plaguing the realms of light, my superiors believe that the best thing these worlds need is a team of elite mercenaries."

"You're a solder of fortune?" Yuna asked, "what a coincidence, so are we."

"We are?" Rikku asked.

"If it'll result in treasure," said Paine, "then yes, we'll fight for hire."

"We'll talk," said Quistis, "now, where can I find Squall? I mean, Leon?"

"Oh, that guy?" Rikku asked, "he's in his room, brooding, as usual."

"He's at the castle," said Yuffie, "he's been a bit down and out lately."

"He's been keeping to himself for the past week," said Areith, "and he won't say what's bothering him. It couldn't have happened at a worse time; what with Merlin working with Yen Sid on a project, Cid rebuilding Sora's gummy ship and with our princess, Kairi, still with her friends, we've been pretty much in charge."

"And believe me," said Yuffie, "running an entire world is no fun at all. Do you have any idea how much paperwork you have to go through each day, just to get one thing done?"

"I can imagine," said Quistis.

"What of Cloud Strife and Tifa Lockhart?" Ansem asked, "aren't they still here?"

"They were," said Yuffie, "but they said they had to take care of something and left about two weeks ago and we haven't heard from them since."

"That's when the paperwork started to pile up," said Areith, "we'd be buried alive in forms and documents, if it weren't for Young Watari, he's been a godsend."

"I'm surprised he's still here on this world," said Ansem, "and not have moved on to other projects."

"He said he was waiting for something," said Areith, "handling the paperwork is helping him keep busy."

"I'll be sure to pay my respects soon," said Ansem, "but first…"

"But first I need to talk to Squall," said Quistis.

"Right," said Yuffie, "follow me."

They then went to the restored castle. Inside the massive structure all traces of Maleficent's wickedness had been thrown out and new artwork and decorum were being installed, "there's still a lot of work to be done," said Areith, "but we're getting it done."

They soon found themselves outside a door that had Leon's name on it.

"Here we are," said Quistis.

"You know, now that I think about it, I'm not too sure he'll be happy to see you, Quistis, " said Yuffie, "Leon rarely talked about his past, but when he did mention his days in SeeD, he said that it wasn't pleasant, especially after what happened with her."

"You mean with his wife, Rinoa," said Quistis, "they…had a falling out a while back. I don't know the full details, but whatever happened, she went her way and he wound up here in the Realms of Light. Well, part of what I'm here for is to help heal the rift between them."

"Assuming he'll talk to you," said Yuffie, "and if you know Leon like I know Leon, you know how moody he can get sometimes."

"Yes, Squall has always been a lone wolf," said Quistis, "hopefully he's become more social since our last meeting." she then knocked on the door. A few seconds Leon opened it. "Hello, Squall."

"Oh no," said Leon in an annoyed and slightly afraid tone, "oh hell no!" he then slammed the door in Quistis' face.

"Well, that went well," said Yuffie sarcastically.

"Actually," said Quistis, "it went a bit better than I thought. At least he didn't attack me."

* * *

…_The Castle of Dreams…_

"You mean to tell me that our world is plagued by vampires?" Prince Robert, otherwise known as Prince Charming, asked Sora and the others as they and Cinderella sat in a large office inside the castle proper.

"That's the gist of it," said Tess.

"All those missing people," said a shocked Cinderella, "they all could be undead abominations."

"We really don't know," said Kairi.

"There's at least a dozen or so still out there," said Tess, "we dropped seven, but yeah, there could still be a lot of them."

"The good news is that we know exactly how to kill Wamphyri," said Aiden, "The Stake, The Sword and The Flame."

"A wooden stake or any wooden or iron projectile through the heart will paralyze the monster," said Riku, "then you cut the head off, exposing the real vampire, the parasitic leach, then burn the whole thing to make sure that it's completely destroyed."

"There's still the fact that we really don't know how many Wamphyri on the world," said Kairi.

"I'm more interested in what they want with my kingdom," said Prince Robert, "why did they come here, and now of all times."

"I don't think our anniversary has anything to do with them," said Cinderella, "all the deaths and disappearances happening right before the ball, it could just be a coincidence."

"In our line of business," said Roxas, "there's no such thing as coincidences."

"Well, just talking about it won't solve the problem," said Naminé.

"I agree," said Prince Robert, "so, what's the next step?"

"We hunt the bloody bastards down to start," said Tess, "then we steak them, cut off their heads and burn them to ashes."

"Easier said than done, I'm afraid," said Prince Robert, "the world is vast; there's a million and one places where the creatures can hide."

"Well, not a million," said Sora, "these things burn in the sunlight, so wherever they're hiding, it'll be someplace that's always dark, like a dungeon or something."

"Not our dungeons," said Cinderella in an insisting tone, "I personally made sure that all prisons and jails in the kingdom are not only well lit both day and night, but also clean, well fed and overall humane."

"And believe or not," said Robert, "crime's been at an all time low for the past few years."

"So the monsters will be hiding in a dark place," said Kairi, "a sewer, or a basement."

"Then what are we waiting for?" Sora asked, "let's get searching?"

"You want to search how many miles of sewers and how many basements right now?" Tess asked, "when it's still dark and the monsters are still awake?"

"We should wait until it's light out," said Riku, "when they're back underground and sleeping."

"In the meantime they're still free to abduct and murder our people," said Robert.

"I don't think they'll be wrecking any more havoc tonight," said Aiden, "we kinda made an impression on them just now."

"I agree," said Tess, "they've been going about unchecked until we showed up. If I were in their shoes, I'd rethink my method of operation."

"You really think these soulless, bloodsucking freaks would skip out a night of murder and mayhem?" Roxas asked, "just because we're here?"

"They might," said Tess.

"But in the meantime," said Cinderella, "I'm calling off the ball for tomorrow."

"The hell you are!" said Tess, "not after I finally got the perfect dress for the ball. It's still on."

"Are you insane?" Robert asked, "there are undead monsters running amuck in the kingdom!"

"All the more reason to keep the ball going," said Tess, "what, are you going to allow a bunch of vampires to run what is supposed to be a very happy occasion for you, your wife and your people? I wouldn't."

"You're not responsible for the safety of an entire kingdom," said Cinderella.

"But it does make sense," said Riku, "we can't let these Wamphyri bastards think that they've got power over you."

"If you call off the ball," said Kairi, "then they'll think they own the night."

"We can't let that happen," said Sora. He looked at Cinderella and Robert, "you deserve to have your anniversary ball."

"But what if the vampires attack the ball?" Cinderella asked.

"Let them come," said Tess, "we'll be ready."

"If they think they can have their way with the world, especially with your happiness," said Kairi, "then you might as well hand the entire kingdom over to them. If they try to ruin your big night, we'll show them a thing or two."

"We've defeated all kinds of monsters," said Aiden, "and we'll defeat the Wamphyri."

At that Cinderella smiled, "there's that confidence I was hoping for. Alright, the ball is still on."

"But I'm going to increase security for the ball," said Robert, "I'm not taking any chances with this."

"You won't get any argument from me," said Sora, "but I don't think these vampires will be too much trouble. I mean, if they're as dumb as they seemed from tonight, how bad can they be?"

* * *

…_Beneath the Streets…_

Far below the surface of the world, beyond the reach of the searing rays of the sun, a vast stone chamber that connected to the extensive sewer system was filled with Wamphyri, hundreds of them, their malevolent red eyes illuminating the darkness. They were formerly ordinary men and women. They were all dressed in the ragged remains of their living clothing, while a few had donned makeshift robes.

One of them, standing on a stone platform at the end of the chamber, was easily a head taller than the others, much more muscular and wearing military style robes.

"Are you sure?" the Wamphyri on the platform asked one of the other undead abominations, "that their swords looked like keys?"

"That's what we saw, Lord Anton," said one of the vampires.

"It's _Maestor _Anton!" snapped the vampire on the platform, "I am a Wamphyri Lieutenant, not a Lord, not yet anyway, not that a miserable Thrall like you would understand."

"Of course, _Maestor _Anton," said the Thrall, "we are indeed miserable lowlifes, both before and after the transformation you endowed on us."

"Yes, I am incredible," said Aton, "Now, about these Keyblade Wielders…"

"Keyblade Wielders, _Maestor _Aton?" another Thrall asked.

"Yes, Keyblade Wielders," said Anton, "because they wield Keyblades." He then realized that the Thralls were all looking at him in a confused manner, "those key swords."

At that all the Thralls made understanding noises.

"As I was saying," remarked Anton in an annoyed tone, "these Keyblade Wielders are not to be underestimated. They've already destroyed one Wamphyri Lord, though I admit that my many-times removed cousin Dmitri Frenzcy was a right bastard, and that's saying something for the undead.

"Anyway, we should be cautious, my brothers and sisters of the night, for if you give a Keyblade Wielder the chance, he or she will send you into oblivion.

"Yet that does not mean that we, the apex predators, the legions of darkness, should be intimidated by these meddling brats. Far from it, it is they whom should be afraid of us."

"I'm not afraid of them," remarked one of the Thralls.

"You weren't there tonight," said another Thrall, "while you were off gorging yourself on a harlot, seven of our brothers and sisters were all defeated by just one of these peoples with key swords."

"I wasn't eating a harlot! She was a courtesan."

"It's the same basic thing," said another Thrall.

"I don't care who was doing what earlier," said Anton, "from now on we're on lockdown. That means for the rest of the night, no one is to go above ground, unless you have a final death wish."

"You can't keep us down here!" one Thrall shouted, "I'm still hungry for blood and sex!" at that the other Thralls all shouted in protest.

"SILENCE!" shouted Anton as his face morphed, becoming more like a wolf and a bat, while his hands became claw like, "I am your superior and you will obey me! And I sired over half of you, while the rest wouldn't even be here if it weren't for me. I am your patriarch, so you owe me loyalty and obedience. Do you understand?"

At that all the Thralls spoke as one, "yes, _Maestor _Anton."

"Smashing," said Anton as his body morphed back to his humanoid form, "now, I understand you have needs and urges that are screaming to be satisfied. Believe me, I know what it's like. But to recklessly give in to your needs and desires is a guaranteed death sentence. If you act recklessly, you're sure to be noticed, and when humans notice Wamphyri, out comes the stakes, blades and fire.

"But that will not happen, my fellow children of the night, for we are all part of something greater than just blood and fleshly desires. We are a family, a family of the immortal, and we all owe our existence to the great mother, to Zerlina."

At that all of the Thralls spoke as one, "the mother, Zerlina."

"The mother has a plan for the realms of light," said Anton, "a plan to turn every single weak, pathetic and downright stupid human in this universe into a strong, fierce and powerful immortal. We shall own these worlds. We shall turn the tables on the humans. We shall rule while they become the ones whom huddle in fear. Our time is approaching, brothers and sisters, our time approaches."

"But when, _Maestor _Anton?" one of the Thralls, a female, asked, "when do we take the worlds for our own?"

"Soon," said Anton, "very soon. Tomorrow night is when we begin the final phase of the plan. Tomorrow we will take over the space elevator so that the humans cannot escape. At the same time, we will corrupt the soul of the world, the princess Cinderella. She is the soul of the world, and once she is one of us, she will lead the rest of the world onto our path. This world will become a world of the Wamphyri, and other worlds will soon follow, all for the glory of the mother, for the glory of Zerlina!"

"For the glory of the mother!" said the Thralls, "for the glory of Zerlina!"

* * *

…_E-Branch temporary HQ…_

"They're definitely laying low for the night," said one of the espers, her eyes closed in concentration, "they've discovered a threat against them, so they won't be going after any prey until sundown tomorrow."

"What could possibly frighten Wamphyri so much that they would hide for the evening?" Cassie asked.

"Probably us," said Reina.

"Never mind that," said Rita in an impatient tone, "did you see Zerlina?"

"And where is their nest?" Guy asked.

"No, on the first," said the esper, "and I don't know on the second. But I did hear what their plan is; they're going to launch a double attack tomorrow night. Some of them will take over the space elevator and cut the world off from the rest of the universe. The other half will attack the big ball and infect this worlds'…princess, or something. Something about Cinderella."

"They're going to turn Cinderella into a vampire?" Rita asked, "that's just wrong."

"Well, they're not going to get away with it," said Reina, "either plan."

"Well, I've got a plan," said Guy, "tomorrow night, half of us will position ourselves around the space elevator, while the rest will go to the ball and protect Cinderella," he looked at Reina, "you were saying about dancing lessons?"

"That's right," said an eager Reina, "time to get to work, but only if I'm your date for the ball."

"Absolutely," said an eager Guy.

"Oh for crying out loud," muttered Rita.

"I don't need to be an empath to know that you're jealous," said Cassie to Rita.

"I'm not jealous!" snapped Rita, "my sister can date whomever she wants," she glared at Guy, "and if they want to screw, by all means, just leave me alone in bed for the night, see if I care."

"Don't fret, my strange friend from another dimension," said Cassie, "I'll be your date for the ball."

"You will?" Rita asked, "wait, tell me the truth, do you swing?"

"Both ways, babe," said Cassie, "I like guys and galls."

"Well, you're alright in my book," said Rita, "so long as I get to lead during the dancing."

"By all means, my lady," said Cassie in an over dramatic tone.

"There's still one thing," said Reina, "what are we wearing to the ball, because now that I think of it, the clothes we brought, nothing we've got is good enough. You know what that means, right?"

"Shopping," sighed Rita.

"Shopping!" said Reina eagerly, "at first light, we go spend some hard earned cash!"

* * *

…_The Next Evening…_

"So once again, we're in tuxedos," said Aiden as he, Riku, Sora and Roxas, stood outside the grand ballroom of the castle. Aiden was in blue and white, Riku in black and white, Sora in red and gold and Roxas in blue and gold.

"I'm just glad they had my size," said Riku, "the tailors on this world work fast."

"I just want to go on record and say that I'm just not comfortable in a suit," said a visibly nervous Roxas, "big formal things like this, just isn't my thing. Give me a battlefield full of Heartless, Nobodies or demons. Hell, I'd rather be out hunting the Wamphyri."

"What's your problem, man?" Sora asked, "we're about to have a good time with the girls we love."

"You guys have beautiful dates," said Aiden, "me, the way things are going, I'm single for life."

"Oh, don't be so pessimistic," said Riku, "you'll find a girlfriend someday."

"Yeah, right," said Aiden.

"No, seriously," said Riku, "we'll find you a girlfriend if we have to."

"We will?" both Roxas and Sora asked.

"Of course we will," said Riku, "no friend of mine will go on with a lonely heart if I have anything to say about it."

"I don't know if I feel lucky or unlucky?" Aiden asked.

Just then Roxas looked up at the stairs behind them, "I can tell you guys this," he said, "we're really lucky."

They looked up the stairs to see Kairi, Tess and Naminé walking down towards them. Tess was wearing the gown she bought yesterday, having her stylized to her left side, while Naminé had on a white halter dress that ended above her ankles with elegant gloves and white high heals and her hair tied with a green bow.

But the most stunning was Kairi, whom was finally wearing the dress she bought so long ago. It was single shouldered with the left side slit up to her knee, blue and green with sequences, while her hair had been done up in ringlets.

"Uh guys," said Kairi as she, Tess and Naminé reached the bottom of the stairs and approached Sora, Riku, Aiden and Roxas, "you're attracting flies."

The boys then realized that that their mouths were hanging open.

"And the last thing we need on top of everything else is a bug problem," said Cinderella, wearing her normal formal gown, while Robert was in his formal whites.

"A whole night without incident," said Robert, "and so far," he looked at the night sky, "no incidences tonight."

"There won't be any incidences," said Sora, "you and Cinderella will have your ball."

"And if there's trouble," said Tess, "we'll make those undead bastards regret ever coming here."

"Darn right," said both Roxas and Naminé.

"In that case," said a smiling Cinderella, "let the ball begin!"

They went into the ballroom where many guests had already arrived, while more were arriving at the castle gates.

Among those arriving were the twins, Cassie and Guy. Reina wore a black and gold backless gown that accented her figure most sensually, while Rita wore a black and white suit. Guy wore a green and gold suit while Cassie had a red and gold gown with puffed sleeves.

"I'm not too happy about the puffed sleeves," said Reina as she held Guy's arm, "they're so…well…retro."

"I think they're elegant," said Rita as Cassie held her arm. "Where as your dress, dear sister, is more than a little provocative."

"Would you rather I wear a burlap sack?" Reina asked, "honestly, sister of mine, are you ever going to ease up and just cut lose?"

"Only when I feel like it," said Rita, "so, any idea when the vamps will attack?"

"All we know is that they'll attack during the ball," said Cassie, "so we'll need to keep our wits about us."

"But that still doesn't mean we can't have fun," said Reina, "so let's enjoy ourselves."

With that they walked through the gates, showing the guards and officials the blank passbook. The guards looked at the passbook and saw what they wanted to see, an official invitation. The guards nodded and allowed them to go in.

"Thank god for psychic paper," said Cassie as they were shown to the ballroom. Already the music was playing and the guests were waltzing.

"Remember what I taught you?" Reina asked Guy.

"Just let the music guide me," said Guy.

"Then let's dance," said Reina. With that they joined the waltz with him leading, while Rita lead Cassie.

* * *

"Exactly when do we attack, _Maestor _Anton?" one of the Thralls asked.

"At the stroke of midnight, my dimwitted friend," said Anton.

"But it's only 8:00," said another Thrall, "what the hell are we supposed to do until then if we can't go after humans?"

"Just sit and spin, imbecile!" snapped Anton, "I will not allow you or any other of you dipsticks to botch this for me."

"Botch what?" another Thrall asked.

At that Anton sighed, "I am a Wamphyri Lieutenant, yet I have the opportunity to be elevated to the status of Wamphyri Lord with the blessing of the mother, Zerlina. She will make me a Lord, once I have brought this world into the family. On the other hand, if I fail, however unlikely that is, Zerlina will have me destroyed, and the rest of you as well as the failures you are.

"So, now do you understand? If I fail, I die, and you all will die as well. So, now do you know why you need to keep to the plan?"

At that the other Thralls nodded in agreement.

"Then be patient and wait," said Anton, "the time to indulge yourselves will come. And when it comes, the ones who die outright will find themselves lucky."

* * *

…_A few hours later…_

"Am I the only one who thinks formal balls are boring?" Aiden asked between dances.

"It is a little boring," said Tess.

"It's supposed to get better soon," said Kairi as she glanced at a huge clock on the wall, the time being 11:44, "Cinderella told me that there's going to be a surprise announced at midnight."

"Well, aside that," said Riku, "I'm partial to agree that balls in general are a bit boring."

"It's more dry," said Sora, "who would have thought that dancing would make you so thirsty."

"Fortunately for that," said Kairi, "there's a cure," she then indicated the nearby refreshment table, especially the huge punchbowl.

"Don't mind if I do," said Sora. He and Kairi walked to the table to get a glass of punch, when Sora was abruptly pushed out of the way by Reina.

"Boy," said Reina, "I'm so thirsty, I could rain a lake."

"Excuse you!" said an annoyed Kairi.

Reina then saw Sora, "oh, sorry, didn't see you down there."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Sora asked. He then realized that Reina was a full six inches taller than him, "oh, alright, you're bigger than me."

"In more ways than one," said Kairi as she admired Reina's figure.

Just then Rita walked over, "please forgive my sister, she has her airhead moments."

"I'm not that bad," said Reina, "I just don't think 100% of the time."

"Well," said Aiden as he walked over, admiring the twin's assets, "what you lack in brains, you make up for in other areas."

At that Reina laughed, "aren't you sweet."

But Rita was steaming mad. She then smacked Aiden across the head, knocking him down, "watch your eyes, pervert!"

"What the hell?" Tess asked as she and Riku saw it, then walked over to the scene, "what's your problem, lady? You don't go around smacking my friend like that!"

"And don't call him a pervert!" said Riku.

"I was merely paying you a compliment," said Aiden as he got up and glared at Rita, "but clearly you're just another irrational, uncute tomboy."

"What did you call me?" Rita demanded, "say that again, punk," she then held up her fist, "unless you'd like a taste of this."

"This is Akane Tendo all over again," said Riku.

"I beg your pardon?" Rita asked.

Just then Guy and Cassie hurried over, "please excuse our friends," said Cassie, "they…have issues."

"You have no idea," said Guy.

"You want a piece of this too?" Rita asked irately as she held up her fist.

"Oh good grief," said an exasperated Aiden, "just who the hell are you?"

"I should be asking you that," said Rita.

Sora then realized that Reina was looking at him strangely, as if her blue tinged eyes were boring into his soul, "uh, can I help you?" he asked hesitantly.

"No," said Reina, "I'm just getting a feel of you. You're a Keyblade Wielder, right?"

"Uh, yeah, I am," said Sora, "but how did you know that?"

"Are we really that famous?" Tess asked.

"Actually, we're strangers here," said Reina.

"Don't tell these people our secrets," said Rita in an annoyed tone.

"Why not?" Reina asked, "we can trust them, we're all on the same side here."

"What do you mean?" Guy asked, "are they after the same thing we are?"

"They are the good guys," said Cassie, "they're incredible heroes whom have saved this universe and many other worlds."

"How do you know that?" Kairi asked.

"We're famous," said Tess in a matter of fact tone.

"You are indeed famous," said Cassie, "you have a far larger fan base than you realize."

"She talks to the dead," remarked Rita as she sampled some caviar.

At that our heroes looked at Cassie like she really was from another world.

"It's an acquired power," said Cassie in a slightly uncomfortable tone.

"You can speak with the dead?" Riku asked, "are you some kind of medium or something?"

"Something like that," said Cassie, "it's really complicated, and I'm still not sure I've got everything worked out."

Just then a bell rang, getting the attention of all the guests. In the center of the ballroom stood Cinderella and Robert.

"May I have everyone's attention, please," said Cinderella. "My husband, Prince Robert, and I, are happy that you all are here to celebrate our belated 10th anniversary."

"Hopefully when our next big anniversary comes around," said Robert, "we won't have to wait as long to celebrate." At that everyone laughed.

"Yet neither myself, nor Robert would be here, nor any of us," said Cinderella, "if it weren't for the efforts of a select few, a group of brave young men and women whom overcame incredible odds and defeated an indescribable evil."

"And they're here right now," said Robert.

At that a spotlight shone on Sora, Riku, Kairi, Aiden, Tess, Roxas and Naminé. All the guests then cheered and clapped for our heroes.

"This ball is far more than just our anniversary," said Robert, "it is to honor those whom fought for the lives and freedoms of so many people across reality. For all their efforts and sacrifices, we thank them."

Just then the clock began chiming midnight.

"And to fully honor these brave heroes," said Cinderella, "we have made plans to construct a memorial park that is scheduled to be opened next year, so that all whom come to it may know the story of Sora and the Keyblade Wielders!" At that the guests cheered even louder.

"If we're not famous now," said Tess, "we will be soon."

Just then came the sound of a mobile ringing, one that came from Guy's pocket. "It's the rest of the team," said Guy in a hushed tone to Cassie and the twins, "the Wamphyri attacked the space elevator at 11:55, but our people managed to destroy most of the attacking force without suffering any casualties, both on our team and civilians."

At the same time a uniformed servant ran up to Cinderella and Robert and whispered something to them, something that shocked them.

"You're fighting the Wamphyri too?" Sora asked.

"I guess the cat is out of the bag now," said Reina.

* * *

"What do you mean that the other group was utterly decimated!" exclaimed Anton.

"They attacked early, _Maestor _Anton," said one of the Thralls, "they got impatient and went all out. But there were humans armed with strange weapons, and other humans with strange powers. Nearly all of the other group were destroyed. The survivors have retreated back to the underground."

"I'll deal with those idiots later," spat Anton, "we have to proceed with our part of the plan. Attack the ball! Now! Infect Cinderella! Kill the others! Attack! Attack!"

* * *

Just then Sora and the others heard the sound of windows crashing all over the ballroom. Then they heard many of the guests screaming as dozens of Wamphyri burst into the area and began attacking; grabbing guests and biting into their necks with their razor-sharp fangs and drinking the humans' blood, or simply killing by breaking necks.

"Oh crap!" shouted Sora.

"You ain't kidding," said Cassie.

"Well, this night just got a whole lot more exciting," said an eagerly grinning Rita as she threw off her suit, revealing a red form-fitting body suit. At the same time Reina threw off her gown, revealing a similar body suit, where as hers was blue.

"Let's kick this ball!" shouted Rita. With that she rushed at the nearest Wamphyri and delivered a bone-shattering kick to its skull, dropping it like a brick, then grabbing another vampire and twisting its head completely around.

Reina then sent cast a spell at a Wamphyri that left it as rigid as a statue, then spoke another spell that burned another vampire to ashes in the blink of an eye.

Guy had pulled out a long, curved knife and used it to slice a Wamphyri's head off, while Cassie had a repeating crossbow and used it to pierce the heart of another.

"Don't leave us out of the fight!" said Riku as he, Sora, Kairi, Aiden, Tess and Roxas summoned their Keyblades and activated their armor by pressing the central buttons on their watches. In a flash of light, Sora was wearing red armor, Riku wearing black armor, Kairi wearing blue armor, Aiden wearing green armor and Tess wearing yellow armor.

"When did you two switch colors?" Sora asked.

"The other day," said Aiden, "I figured I'm more of a green person.

"Likewise, I'm a yellow person," said Tess.

"Well, it suits you," said Riku, "you look good in yellow."

"And you'll always look good in black," said Tess.

"Well, I'm sticking with red," said Sora.

"We'll talk about who looks good in what later," said Kairi, "we're needed right now."

"Oh, right, Wamohyri," said Sora, "let's go!" With that he, Riku, Kairi, Aiden and Tess rushed at the Wamphyri, slicing off limbs and heads, stabbing the foul creatures through the heart, setting a few on fire and overall, getting them away from the innocent humans before any more were slain.

"I don't need any armor!" shouted Roxas as he rushed in and sliced a vampire in half vertically. Then he set two on fire, followed by stabbing another two in their undead hearts. At the same time, Naminé was blasting more vampires with her white magic, stunning some while helping innocents to get away.

Sora soon found himself next to Rita as she punched, kicked and threw one Wamphyri after another, "hey, you guys are pretty good!"

"You ain't so bad yourself, kid," said Rita.

"Is it me or are you nicer?" Kairi asked.

"She's always happy in a fight," said Reina as she froze a Wamphyri solid, then her twin smashed it into tiny pieces with a roundhouse kick.

But for every Wamphyri our heroes and new allies either destroyed or disabled, two took its place. Then our heroes realized the overall strategy of the undead abominations; while the vampires were satisfying their thirsts and murderous desires, the majority of them were closing in on Cinderella and Robert. The royal pair, once the battle started, had been surrounded by dozens of guards wielding halberds, while other guards had flaming torches and a handful had bows and arrows and so far had kept the undead from their prince and princess, but more and more Wamphyri were encircling them and little by little the guards were either bitten or killed outright.

"We've got to help them!" shouted Reina as she cast a Thunder spell on a vampire, "their goal is to turn Cinderella into a Wamphyri!"

"Why didn't you tell us this before?" shouted Aiden as he and the others began moving towards Cinderella and Robert.

"We didn't know if we could trust you," said Guy as he sliced another undead head off, while Cassie put a crossbow bolt through the heart of another vampire, then put two through the eyes of a third.

"We'll work out trust issues later!" said Riku, "we can't let those things touch Cinderella!"

"Easier said than done!" said Cassie as she loaded another clip of bolts into her crossbow, but then the bowstring snapped. She hurriedly tried to string a spare, when a vampire appeared behind her and grabbed her arms, its fangs bared to sink into her neck. She struggled to get away but the creature's grip was too strong.

Sora and the others realized that they were too far away to help Cassie in time. But then Guy pulled out a small metal sphere and threw it at the vampire. It exploded and produced a cloud of pale yellow smoke that had the creature coughing and clutching at its throat, then at its stomach as it retched and vomited up a few drops of blood, while its skin became severely inflamed. Unable to breathe, it released Cassie an crumbled to the floor.

Sora then realized what the smoke smelled like, "Garlic?" he asked.

"Wamphyri are highly allergic to it," said Guy as he stabbed the fallen vampire in the heart, while Reina cast a Fire spell, immolating it.

"Good to know," said Riku. He then threw a Strike Raid at the group of Wamphyri trying to get to Cinderella, decapitating one. He, Tess and Aiden then rushed at them, getting their attention and giving the guards enough breathing room to begin a tactical withdraw, slowly moving both Cinderella and Robert to the ballroom exit.

After another minute or so the number of fresh Wamphyri began to slow down and eventually stop. Soon after, Sora was the one to slay the last one in the area, stabbing it in the heart with his Keyblade and then setting it on fire. Once all the undead pieces had been burned, Sora and the others deactivated their armor.

With no more enemies in the area, our heroes sighed with relief and took stock of the situation. The ballroom was a complete wreck; scores of scorch marks marred the floor from incinerated vampires and few more were still on fire, while here and there a stray arm or head remained, only to be burned by one of the guards.

Blood mingled with the ashes and burn marks on the floor, coming from the dead and dieing men and women that fell victim to the savagery of the Wamphyri.

"This is horrible," said a shocked Cinderella as she and Robert, flanked by their guards, surveyed the carnage. "Utterly horrible."

"Now we know what kind of monster is plaguing our world," said Robert.

"I'm afraid it's worse," said Guy. He then pointed to the dead and dieing on the floor, "all those bodies, and the wounded, need to be burned at once before they become vampires."

"But they're still alive," said Cinderella, "there are people here who need help. We can't just burn them like they were garbage!"

"The dead, yes," said Robert, "but not those still alive. They need healers."

"They can't be helped," said Cassie, "the second they were bitten, they were infected. It's only a matter of time before they become Wamphyri Thralls."

"But there has to be a cure," said Kairi, "a spell or a potion, anything."

"There is no cure," said Rita in a remorseful tone, "the E-Branch scientists have spent decades trying to make a cure for the Wamphyri pathogen without success."

"We're sorry," said Reina, "but anyone infected, alive or dead, must be destroyed before they become undead."

"Look!" said Guy, "it's already starting!" he pointed at one of the dead guests, whom was twitching as if an electric current was running through him. His skin paled to a near white, while his lips curled back to reveal growing fangs and his nails sharpened into claws.

A few more of the slain humans were showing signs of turning into vampires, while some of those still alive were also growing fangs and claws.

"They have to be destroyed," Cassie insisted, "put them out of their misery now, before they rise up to inflict more pain on the living!"

"Don't argue with us," said Guy, "we know what we're talking about!"

"Of which we'll have to have a long and serious talk about later," said Robert, "but," he sighed reluctantly, "you're right, the problem is only going to get worse."

"You mean…?" said a distraught Cinderella, "you're going to…"

"No," said Reina in a compassionate tone, "we'll do it."

"We've done this before," said Rita, "it's not we like, but it has to be done," she then looked at her twin, "ready?"

"Are we ever ready for this devils' work?" Reina asked, "but yeah, let's just get it over with."

"Right," said Rita. With that she and her sister walked among those on the floor whom were becoming vampires. They stopped at each one, both living and dead, and both of them dropped a fireball onto each one, incinerating the forms one by one.

"They both can use Fire spells?" Sora asked.

"The twins share the power to control fire," said Guy, "but as you saw earlier, Rita prefers hand to hand combat, while Reina is a spell caster at heart."

It was soon over and all the former humans were put out of their misery. Several servants ran in to the room with buckets of water to put out the fires, while Sora and Roxas helped extinguish he flames with Blizzard spells.

"Well, this pretty much ruins your anniversary," said Kairi to Cinderella, "I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault," said Cinderella, "on the contrary, if you hadn't been here, I…I don't know what would have happened."

"They wanted to turn you into one of them," said Rita, "to corrupt the world."

"Those animals!" said an outraged Robert, "do these monsters know no bounds?"

"They are the most inhuman, soulless abominations to ever walk the lands of mankind," said Guy, "they completely lack empathy and morality and will stop at nothing to turn every living human into one of them."

"They would have completely cut off the world from the rest of the realms," said Cassie, "but the rest of our team intercepted them at the space elevator. They took the bastard by surprise and not one human got hurt."

"Then it's over," said Kairi.

"No," said Rita, "it's far from over. The enemy leader, the Wamphyri Lieutenant, it's still out there, somewhere in hiding. It'll only strike again when it has made more Thralls to do its bidding."

"Then we have to go after it," said Sora, "now, before it makes more vampires!"

"I couldn't agree more, I'm Reina by the way," she then held out her hand, "this is my twin sister Rita. That's Cassie Nightingale and that's Guy Ellington."

"Nice to meet you," said Kairi as she shook hands with Reina, while the others were making full introductions, "now, let's hunt some Wamphyri."

"Uh, you might want to change your wardrobe first," said Rita, "hunting vampires while in formal wear isn't really helpful."

Sora and the others realized that they were still in their suits and dresses, "uh, right," said Sora, "just give us a few minutes."

"Fine by me," said Guy as he pulled out his mobile, "I'll arrange for the rest of our team to meet up. Hopefully by then we'll have a better idea of where the undead nest is."

"Let's hope so," said Kairi. She then looked at Cinderella, "we'll end this nightmare soon, tonight."

"I know you will," said Cinderella, "thank you, and good luck."

"We'll be fine," said Sora as he gave Cinderella a reassuring smile, "we'll roast those vampires like popcorn."

* * *

"What do you mean the castle group was wiped out!" exclaimed Anton.

"That's just it, _Maestor _Anton," said one of the Thralls, "they're all gone."

"And the princess?" Anton asked, "was she not infected?"

"The princess was not touched," said the Thrall.

Anton responded by ripping the poor Thrall's head off, then pulling out an elaborately crafted lighter and burning the head and body. He then addressed his remaining Thralls, "prepare for defense. No doubt the fools whom interfered with our plans will now seek us out to destroy us. We'll be sure to give them a reception they'll never forget."

"Forgive my inquiry, _Maestor _Anton," said one of the Thralls, "but wouldn't leaving be a better idea?"

"Running away?" Anton asked, "and where would we run to? Our enemies would hunt us wherever we go, and then there is mother Zerlina, whom would seek and destroy us for our failure and cowardliness. No, brothers and sisters, we cannot run. Instead, we will stay and fight. We will destroy our enemies, whom then shall rise as Wamphyri themselves, to carry on where we left off. Now get to it, or I'll destroy you myself!"

At that the Thralls went about preparing their nest for the coming battle.

Anton then went to a private chamber where a crystal ball. He then held his hands to either side of the crystal ball and closed his eyes in concentration, "great mother Zerlina, it is I, your son, Anton."

The crystal ball glowed brightly, then faded to black, while from within a pair of red eyes burned with hate, while also love, "speak, my son," said the a female voice from within the crystal ball, "what news of success do you have for your loving mother?"

"I regret to report only failure, mother," said Anton in a fearful tone, "nearly all of my Thralls have been destroyed, and the princess remains fully human."

"Destroyed?" the voice, Zerlina, asked, "how? Who dares to destroy my children?"

"I fear that Keyblade Wielders are involved," said Anton, "and from what I am told, by also espers and humans trained in covert operations."

"Were the two whom I warned you about involved?" Zerlina asked, "the twins?"

"I believe so, mother," said Anton.

"Those two wretched mutants!" spat Zerlina, "I'll rip out their hearts and devour their souls!"

"And my their undead bodies serve you forever," said Anton, "yet there still remains the issue of the enemies coming for me and my remaining Thralls. I…was wondering if you could send help. Perhaps my brother or sister…then…"

"There can be no assistance, Anton," said Zerlina, "your siblings are currently engaged in their missions and cannot aid you."

"Then perhaps you, oh great and terrible mother," said Anton, "with your awe inspiring power, then…"

"I have my own mission, you simpering fool!" spat Zerlina, "you yourself have your own powers, do you not?"

"I am endowed with the powers your kiss granted me," said Anton.

"Then use them," said Zerlina, "destroy the interlopers, even if you have to sacrifice yourself to do so, but they must not escape to slay any more of my children! Is that understood, Anton? Do what must be done to destroy them!"

"Yes, great mother Zerlina," said Anton in a cowering tone.

At that the red eyes of Zerlina softened and her voice spoke with more compassion, "I am sorry, my son, but there is nothing I can do to help. Just like your brother and sister, you must stand alone if you are to grow into a Wamphyri Lord."

"I will, mother!" said Anton in a tone full of conviction, "I will destroy the meddling brats, all of them! I will be worthy of the title of Wamphyri Lord!"

"Then do what must be done, Anton," said Zerlina, "may the everlasting darkness favor you."

"May you live forever, great mother Zerlina," said Anton. At that the crystal ball went dark.

Anton sighed with fear and depression, then regained his composure, "I will defeat the interlopers. I will be worthy of the mother. I will become a Wamphyri Lord!" with that he left the chamber and supervised the nest's defenses.

**The end of chapter 3.**

Next chapter finds the two groups of heroes teaming up to hunt down and destroy the Wamphyri nest. Will this be the end of the undead threat to the realms of light? Or will things only get started? Reviews will be rewarded with cake and pie. See you next time!


	4. Chapter 4: Into The Nest

Last time found our heroes fighting off a dozen undead monsters known as Wamphyri. Realizing the true danger threatening The Castle of Dreams, our heroes were nonetheless determined that Cinderella's anniversary ball should go on as scheduled. Meanwhile, the E-Branch team caught a glimpse of the plan of the undead abominations and took measures to stop the creatures, in which the twins and some of the group infiltrated the ball, where they met with our heroes. The vampires attacked the ball, intent on turning Cinderella into a Wamohyri and corrupting the world. The combined effort of the Keyblade Wielders and the E-Branch group foiled the insidious plot, and now the two groups of heroes have joined forces to rid the world of the undead menace.

Meanwhile, Ansem and Quistis arrived back on Radiant Garden, with the later hoping to reunite with her old teammate Squall Lionhart, otherwise known as Leon. To say that the reunion wasn't a happy one would be an understatement. 'Nuff said, on with the show!

**Chapter 4: Into the Nest**

"So, you guys are from a parallel Earth," said Sora, "and you came here to fight the Wamphyri."

"That's it in a nutshell," said Reina.

After Sora and the others changed back into their normal attire, they went with the twins, Guy and Cassie, to the E-Branch HQ in the abandoned warehouse, where the rest of the team was already waiting for them, having a brief report of the battle at the space elevator for Guy. Sora and the rest of our heroes had already told the E-Branch group a general summary of who they were, their battles against The Heartless and Nobodies, and their nightmarish encounter with Dmitry Frenzcy on Metamore, and now were listening to Reina, Rita, Guy and Cassie tell their story.

"What exactly is E-Branch about?" Riku asked.

"It's quite a story actually," said Guy, "it was stared back in the Cold War, when our world was split between capitalism and communism and both sides were just about ready to annihilate each other in nuclear war. But unknown to the majority of the world, a secret war was being waged between psychic spies.

"The Soviet Union employed espers in what they called ESPinoage, a special branch of the KGB, to not only spy on the western powers, but also for all sorts of covert operations ranging from planting subversive propaganda in the west to assassination.

"Being the subject of the paranormal, almost none of the western powers took the threat seriously and ESPinoage was well on the way of dominating the world with its espers, assuming they could have gotten through the communistic red tape and inner party intrigue, not to mention that the Soviet espers didn't like each other that much.

"Only the United Kingdom employed their own espers, creating E-Branch to counter ESPinoage. Not only were there espers with a wide variety of abilities brought in, but also normal humans trained in covert operations; British Secret Service and Royal Marines for starters. As the secret cold war went on, more and more western powers began employing their own espers, while espers and special ops from other countries joined with E-Branch; CIA, Navy Seals, Green Barrettes, Israeli Commandos, GSG9 and so on. I myself am a reserve officer in the RAF, like my grandfather whom fought in the Battle of Brittan, while also trained in Nepal with the Gurkhas, whom fought in Burma and elsewhere in Southeast Asia in WW2, like my other grandfather."

"What is a Gurkha?" Tess asked.

"Commandos trained to be ruthless killers," said an annoyed Rita.

"It's more than that," said Guy, "we have our own code of honor. We fight for that honor and to earn glory on the field of battle, and are prepared to fight to the death if needed."

"Like the French Foreign Legion," said Kairi.

"Sort of," said Guy. "But if it came down to a fight between the two groups, the Gurkha's could easily take down the Foreign Legion guys."

"So you've got espers and special ops persons," said Riku. He then looked at the twins, "and you two are more than exceptional."

"Guilty as charged," said Reina, "my sister and I, we're kind of a mystery, even to ourselves."

"We fell into the world about a year ago," said Rita, "with no memory of who we really are or where we came from. You've seen our powers, well, they're a mystery too."

"We've had a lot of people try to cure our amnesia," said Reina, "but after a year of therapy and so on, no dice."

"That's horrible," said Sora, "not knowing who you really are and where you came from."

"I know the feeling," said Tess, "I don't have amnesia but…I was adopted and so far, I've been unable to figure out my real origins."

"Now that sucks," said Rita.

"You know," said Naminé, "I do have power over memories. When this mess with the Wamphyri is taken care of, I can try to cure your amnesia."

"You'd do that for us?" Reina asked.

"But we barely know you," said Rita, "why should you help us?"

"because we're friends," said Kairi, "and friends help each other out."

"And what do you want in return?" Rita asked cautiously.

"Oh come on, sister of mine," said Reina, "they could solve all our questions."

"At what price?" Rita asked, "for all we know they could be waiting for the chance to take advantage of us."

"You really need to learn to trust people more," said Reina, "I know that Sora and the others are our friends," she then winked, "if you can't trust your own flesh and blood, whom can you trust?"

At that Rita smiled, "you know, I hate it when you're right." She and Reina then hugged, "I do trust you, more than anything else in existence. If you say these guys are the good guys, then they are the good guys."

"Glad to know," said Reina. With that the two of them kissed passionately.

"Um…" said a dumbstruck Sora as he, Riku, Kairi, Aiden, Tess, Roxas and Naminé looked at the twins with confounded expressions.

"Oh, they've got a thing between them," said Cassie.

"Twin lovers," said Tess, "how about that?"

"I have to see it to believe it," said Aiden.

"You'd better believe it, little boy," said Rita, "'cause this is all you're going to see."

"I never implied anything," said Aiden.

"She's a little sensitive," said Cassie.

"I can see that," said Aiden, "and what's your story?"

"You said you can talk to the dead," said Riku, "how does that work?"

"It's quite the story," said Cassie, "I was just an ordinary London girl, well on the fast track to fashion, fame and glory, when this…this golden dart, came out of nowhere and hit me in the head. I was unconscious for three days and when I woke up, I had the power to speak with the dead."

"Golden dart?" Sora asked.

"This kinda sounds familiar," said Kairi.

"You've encountered the golden dart before?" Cassie asked.

"We saw this golden energy that contained the essence of a man," said Riku, "a man whom gave everything he had to fight evil; Harry Keogh."

"That's where the dart came from!" said Cassie, "Harry Keogh was a Necroscope, an esper with the power to hear the lingering minds of the dead. Keogh used his power, his Deadspeak, along with other powers, to combat Wamphyri and other evils and when he finally died, his essence shattered into countless fragments, each fragment containing a shared portion of his memories and powers. I got his knowledge of Wamphyri and his Deadspeak. You encountered a fragment of the Keogh essence, so what powers do you have?"

"We briefly gained the power to use the Mobiüs continuum," said Kairi, "any mortal realm was open to us, but we only had the power for two days before it wore off."

"The power to use the primal darkness to go anywhere," said Cassie, "I'm jealous."

"But how does talking to the dead work?" Sora asked.

"It's quite simple actually," said Cassie, "when we die, the body decays and the soul moves on to the afterlife, while the mind, our thoughts and memories, our consciousness, remains in existence, usually near where the body died. These thoughts and memories don't remain static but continue to evolve; even in death, we keep thinking. Writers pen fantastic stories and artists create canvases and sculptures that stir the heart, while scientists and philosophers take their research and philosophies to new heights and beyond.

"Now, one thing to remember is that normally, each departed mind is an island to itself, unable to interact with the living or other dead. But when Harry Keogh began speaking with the minds of the dead, The Great Majority, they found that they can talk to each other, sharing their works and ideas, while past loves and families were reunited in eternity.

"And Keogh, he was loved most of all among The Great Majority because he was the only human on his world whom could convey the works of the dead to the living, and I've done the same thing since becoming a Necroscope; I've published the works of the dead under pseudonyms and helped console the grieving living."

"You've got the most awesome power," said Aiden, "bringing the dead back to life has been a dark obsession to many a fallen Alchemist on my world, while many more have dedicated their lives to learning the secrets of the dead, all ending in horrific results. But what you can do is on a whole other level."

"You sound like talking to the dead is part of necromancy," said Naminé.

"Actually, necromancy is another psychic power," said Cassie, "one most foul. While a Necroscope makes friends with the dead, and the dead can ignore the Necroscope if they choose to, a Necromancer steals the secrets of the dead by desecrating and mutilating dead bodies. They rip the muscles and organs apart and splinter the bones, cracking and tearing the knowledge from the dead, and it hurts."

"How can it hurt if they're dead?" Sora asked.

"It hurts them because the consciousness of the dead is still linked to their bodies," said Cassie, "exactly how it works, I don't know, but a Necromancer is a degenerate violator with no qualm about murdering the living in order to torture them in death."

"That's awful," said Kairi.

"Which is why E-Branch has a standing policy of shooting a confirmed Necromancer on sight," said Guy, "but that's beside the point."

"We've got Wamphyri to hunt," said Rita. She then looked at the other espers on the team, "so, any idea where their nest is?"

One of the espers then handed Rita a map of the towns' sewer system with one area circled with red ink.

"Where did you get that?" Riku asked.

"It's part remote viewing and freewriting," said Reina, "and partly stolen from the town hall records department."

"This is where we think the Wamphyri have their nest," said Guy as he pointed at the part of the map circled in red.

"How sure are you that that's where they are?" Aiden asked.

"98.6% sure," said Guy, "which would be perfectly fine if this were a thermometer."

"Unfortunately there's still a lot of area in which the vampires could be hiding," said Cassie, "and where they could have set up god knows what kind of defenses."

"They could have loaded those tunnels with enough booby-traps to kill an army," said Tess.

"Then we'll have to be careful," said Guy.

"But not too careful," said Reina, "if we go too slow, the vampires could have even more time to get ready for us, or worse, escape."

"And we can't let even a single Wamphyri escape," said Reina in a grim tone, her face set with determination, "or else it will bite another human and start the dark cycle all over again."

"You hate them, don't you," said Kairi.

"What's not to hate about Wamphyri?" Rita asked, "they re evil, pure and simple and cannot be reasoned with. They take all that is good and pure in a human and twist it to their own corrupt desires, and believe me, you don't want to know how horrible they can be once they go to work on you."

"It's more than that," said Kairi, "you hate Wamphyri, but more than just as an overall evil. You've got a personal grudge against them."

"You guessed," said Rita as her hand went to her pocket and touched her locket, "yeah, I can tell that you're kinda like an esper."

"My guess is that she's an empath," said Reina.

"I'm an esper?" Kairi asked, "I always thought it was just magic."

"In a way it's both," said Cassie, "much as one would say that telepathy is both a magical and a psychic ability."

_:So, our mindspeaking is both magical and psychic: _said Sora with his mind.

_:Bingo!: _said a grinning Reina.

:_But don't think you can take a look into our private thoughts: _said Rita, _:I catch you trespassing in my head or my sister's, I'll shave you.:_

"You'll shave us?" Aiden asked as his hand went to his face, "I haven't started growing a beard yet."

"I meant I'll take off something of yours," said Rita, "something that you'll greatly miss."

"She means she'll castrate you," said Reina. She then glared at her twin, "which isn't going to happen. You really need to relax around boys."

"Why is it that you don't like boys?" Tess asked, "I'm just curious."

"I just don't, that's all!" Rita said stubbornly as she crossed her arms.

"It's personal, so just leave it at that," said Reina, "now, about these Wamphyri, we need to come up with a plan."

"I have a plan," said Aiden, "it involved a lot of fire spells and flame throwers for those whom don't have magic."

"A good suggestion," said Guy, "but I've got one that's a bit more well thought out." He then outlined a plan that involved some of the special ops and espers taking the lead of the group, said espers would then sense out any traps the enemy had set up.

"We'll also be on the lookout or any Warriors or Flyers," said Cassie.

"What are those?" Sora asked.

"That's right," said Cassie, "you've only encountered a weakened Lord and just now know of Thralls. Alright, here's the short version. Wamphyri aren't just vampires; they have a structured hierarchy.

"At the bottom are Thralls; humans turned into vampires via a bite, scratch or sharing bodily fluids, meaning that if a Wamphyri even so much as kisses you, you'll eventually turn into a Thrall. The change could take as long as weeks, though if you die because of your wounds the change is much more quicker, it just is, leading you to rise as an undead monster within a few hours of expiring. All in all you'll suffer gradually increasing pains and your intelligence will go down. I personally take it as a godsend that Thralls are so dumb, makes them easier to destroy.

"Above Thralls are Lieutenants, which are much smarter, stronger, faster and have more elaborate mental and physical powers, while inside them is the real vampire, the parasitic leach. The bite of a Lieutenant creates Thralls. Then you have Lords, which are vastly more intelligent and powerful. They can compel the weak minded to doing their bidding via hypnosis, as well as change their physical shape. They also have a leach, the real vampire behind the madness, though a Lieutenant's leach isn't as developed or disgusting as one in a Lord."

"We know all that from our fight with Dmitri," said Riku, while Tess shuddered at the memory of the Wamphyri's red snake-like creature.

"Then you know just how dangerous they can be," said Guy, "A Lord's bite creates Lieutenants, but they can also make another Lord. Each Wamphyri Lord, specifically the undead parasite that is the real vampire, produces once during its life cycle an 'egg.' This egg is then placed on a human and is absorbed into the victims' body and over the course of a few months, or as little as a few weeks, matures into a full parasite, thereby turning the poor human into the stuff of nightmares with not only all the powers and abilities of a Wamphyri Lord, but also the memories of the Lord whom created the egg, thereby propagating that Lords' 'family.'"

"These Wamphyri were created by one Lord, or should I say Lady, that we tried and failed to destroy," said Cassie.

"Zerlina Frenzcy," said Rita, her voice full of hate as she gripped her locket, "we should have made sure that she was destroyed, we should have made sure."

"So she's the one you hate," said Kairi.

"Yes," said Rita, "I hate everything about Zerlina."

"What did she do to you to make you hate her so?" Namine asked.

"It's what she did to the both of us," said Reina, her eyes also burning with hate. "She…Zerlina…she…"

"Zerlina has the power to mask her self from our espers," said Cassie, "Normally a Wamphyri puts out an incredible amount of resonating energy that can be detected easily enough, but Zerlina's always been stronger than she seems. When we first encounter her, she had us completely fooled to believing that she was human."

"She did more than convince us that she was human," said Guy, "she befriended the twins."

"We thought she was just a regular, normal girl our age," said Reina, "that she just wanted to be our friend."

"But she played us like fools," said Rita, "and right when we least expected it, she betrayed us."

"She killed a lot of the people we had come to know as our friends," said Reina, "and turned most of them into Thralls to do her bidding. She can do both, make Thralls and Lieutenants. She did that, and she laughed at us."

"She said that she was never our friend," spat Rita, "that we were merely pawns in one of her games, her sick, twisted, sadistic games. She said that she befriended us only to betray us later, that our pain of that betrayal was what she was after, that she found it delightful that we suffered because of her."

"She thought that her betrayal would leave us devastated and wrecked at heart," said Reina, "but instead, we got mad and fought back. We destroyed the vampires she created and we chased after Zerlina and the others in her sick 'family.' We found the other vampires easily enough. Zerlina, now, she was a horse of a different color."

"An undead horse of a different color," said Rita.

"That's one of Zerlina's quirks," said Cassie, "She sees herself as a mother, that the vampires she creates are her children. She only loves her 'children,' and seeks to enlarge her family, and murder as many humans as possible."

"But we stopped her from destroying our world," said Rita, "we wiped out her entire family, except for Zerlina."

"We thought we had her dead to rights," said Reina, "but she got away, and now she's here in the realms of light, which she seeks to turn to darkness. But we won't let that happen."

"Zerlina escaped from us before," said Rita, "now we have another chance to stop her once and for all. This time we will destroy her, or die trying."

"Oh come on," said Kairi, "martyring yourself won't do anything."

"If we have to die to ensure that Zerlina's evil is stopped for good then yes," said Reina, "we'll gladly die. It's our fault she got away the first time. We made a mistake, so now it's time to correct that mistake."

"Well, we'll help you," said Sora, "we've already fought together to save Cinderella, we might as go all the way and stop the Wamphyri for good."

"You don't have to do that," said Rita, "this is our responsibility, our problem."

"You think it's just your problem?" Riku asked.

"You think you can handle it?" Reina asked.

"Weren't you paying attention to what happened at the ball?" Aiden asked, "we cleaned those vampire's clocks."

"And we killed a Wamphryi Lord already," said Tess, "sure, Dmitri wasn't very strong, and we did have a lot of help, but Zerlina can't be that much stronger, right?"

"Trust me," said Guy, "Zerlina is unlike anything you've ever seen before. Not only does she have all the powers of a regular vampire; strength, speed and near invincibility, as well as hypnosis and mid control, she can also change her appearance at will, shifting from normal appearing human to a nightmare come to life."

"If that wasn't enough," said Rita, "she's also immune to garlic and silver only hurts her, the same for sunlight, it only hurts her. But her greatest power is illusion."

"That's how she got away from us," said Reina, "she made us think we had her steaked through the heart, her head cut off and burned to a cinder, with combination of gasoline, kerosene and lighter fluid."

"We thought she was gone," said Rita, "but she got away, so now we've got another chance to finish her once and for all."

"Well, you're not doing it alone," said Kairi, "Zerlina brought her evil to the realms, and as Keyblade Wielders, it's our job to stop evil in it's tracks, no matter what."

"We became allies the second we fought together at the ball," said Aiden, "and we won't take no for an answer."

"Face it," said Sora to the twins, "we're either doing this together, or not at all."

At that Rita sighed with reluctant acceptance, "alright, we'll do it together, but I don't have to like it!"

"Then we're in agreement," said Guy, "we'll work together to defeat the Wamphyri."

"But my sister and I get to kill Zerlina, said Reina, "she hurt us too much to let her be destroyed by anyone else."

"She will die by our hands," said Rita, "I don't know how we're going to kill her, but we will. And anyone who tries to get in our way," she held up her balled fist, "get's it, got it?"

"We get it," said Sora, Riku, Kairi, Aiden, Tess, Roxas and Namine all at the same time.

* * *

"All defense preparations are complete, _Maestor_ Anton," said one of the Thralls. He then showed Anton a holographic map of the nest and the surrounding tunnel system. The tunnels were spotted with various colored dots that indicated different types of booby-traps.

"The reds are laser traps," said the Thralls, "the orange ones are crushing traps, the yellows are mines, the blues are spikes, the greens are acid projectors and the purple ones are poison gas traps. The human fools will never even get close to us."

"Excellent," said Anton as he rotated the hologram map to view the traps from different directions, "every access to the nest has been covered. Now, what about our exit strategy?"

"The escape tunnel," said the Thrall as a new tunnel was shown on the map, one highlighted in white, "ever since the nest was established, we've been digging this tunnel in the event of an emergency. Now that our safety has been compromised, we're digging nonstop. Our target is this," the map then changed to show an overlay of the city above, with a large building highlighted in white, "an empty warehouse. We're expected to reach it well before dawn. In the event the enemy breaches the nest, we can make an end run through the tunnel, which will be mined. Should our enemies pursue us through the tunnel, we can detonate the mines and destroy them once we're through the tunnel."

"Outstanding," said Anton, yet he knew there would be no exit strategy for his fellow Wamphyri. Zerlina had ordered him to fight to the death, and if he dies, then so does the Thralls.

Just then another Thrall ran up to Anton, "motion sensors have detected humans approaching the nest, _Maestor_ Anton!"

The holographic map then zoomed in on one of the tunnels and showed multiple pink dots moving towards the nest, "the pink dots are humans, _Maestor_ Anton."

"I figured that out for myself, thank you very much," said an annoyed Anton, "I see they're approaching a set of mines. Are these simple explosives or more elaborate mines?"

"I'm sure those mines are claymore mines," said one of the Thralls.

"Smashing," said a grinning Anton, "let them be perforated."

* * *

"Remind me why we're about to walk head-on into a claymore minefield?" Riku asked.

"Because we know where the mines are," said Guy, "and we have the means to deactivate them from a distance," he held up a remote-like device, "thanks to a combination of precognition, far sight and technology."

"So we can turn the traps off as we come to them," said Sora, "cool."

"It's going to get really hot before too long," said Reina as she summoned a fireball, while some of the special ops and espers hefted flamethrowers.

One of the espers held up a hand to signal the group to stop, then pointed at a poorly concealed claymore mine.

"They didn't even try to camouflage it," said Guy, "stupid, stupid vampires," he held out his remote and pressed a series of buttons, "there, the mine and all those within 100 meters have been deactivated. I'll deactivate more as we get to them."

"But don't think we can relax," said Cassie, "the enemy could have more than booby-traps set for us."

"But we can still talk," said Riku, "you guys never told us about Wamphyri Warriors and Flyers are."

"Well," said Guy, "Wamphyri Warriors are that, vampires specially bread for death and destruction. They're huge monstrosities that can shift from humanoid to just about anything, and they are completely obedient to the ones that created them, and they're pretty damn hard to kill."

"The same goes for Flyers," said Cassie, "they're basically giant, living airfoils that a Wamphyri Lord or Lieutenant can fly around on."

"Let's just hope we don't run into any of those," said Riku, "ordinary vampires are enough."

Just then one of the special ops signaled to Guy, whom then smiled.

"What happened?" Sora asked.

"We've hacked into their computer system," said Cassie, "we're now attempting to disable their survelance."

"Now we've got the drop on them," said a grinning Reina.

"And apparently they also have an escape tunnel dug," said Guy.

"We won't give them a chance to use it," said Rita, "let's move!" with that they all ran forward, ready to battle the undead.

* * *

"Will someone please explain to me," said an irked Anton, "why every single booby-trap the fools have run into have suddenly deactivated?"

"I…I do not know, _Maestor_ Anton," said one of the Thralls.

"Imbecile!" snapped Anton. "I should burn you myself, for all the good you are!"

Just then another Thrall ran up to Anton, "our security system has been hacked, _Maestor_ Anton!"

"What!" exclaimed Anton. It was then that the hologram map of the tunnels was replaced by static.

"The escape tunnel!" said one of the Thralls, "it's our only chance!"

"No!" spat Anton, "we are not running away! Mother Zerlina has ordered us to fight to the finish!"

"You never told us that!" shouted another Thrall.

"Well, she told me," said Anton, "the mother will not accept our cowardliness. If we run, she will hunt us down and destroy us like vermin, so there will be no running, not now, not ever."

Just then there came the sound of fighting from further up the tunnel, followed by the sound of screaming Wamphyri, then the sound of sudden fires igniting.

"Right now, running seems like a very good idea," said one of the Thralls.

"I'll kill anyone who runs," said Anton, "is that understood?"

Just then there was another Wamphyri scream and another fire igniting, this one much closer, the tunnel walls reflected the light of the flames.

Then our heroes and allies burst into the chamber, "evening all!" said an eagerly grinning Reina, "what's cooking?"

"Your souls by the time we're done with you!" shouted Anton. He then gestured to the Thralls, all 24 remaining, "kill them!"

"Gee, twenty four undead geeks," said Rita as the Thralls moved to attack, "I'm so scared, I'm shaking."

"How ever will we survive?" Reina asked sarcastically, "oh well, immortality's overrated."

"Let's rock this house!" said Rita. He then delivered a double roundhouse hick to the heads to two vampires, snapping their necks, then punched a third in the head, also breaking its neck.

Meanwhile, Reina was launching fireballs that homed in on the other Thralls, setting them on fire, then she burned the ones her twin disabled.

Within seconds the nest was filled with choking smoke, but Reina cast an air refreshing spell that removed the smoke before our heroes asphyxiated.

"You took out all those vamps by yourselves," said an impress Tess.

"We've had practice," said Rita. She and Reina then glared at Anton, "now, about you. Where's Zerlina?" The twins, the E-Branch operatives and our heroes then slowly closed in on the Wamphyri Lieutenant.

"You think I'll betray the mother?" Anton asked, realizing that he was being backed into a corner yet willing to keep fighting, "she whom endowed upon me life beyond life? She whom welcomed me among the apex predators?"

"Oh, you're a predator alright," said Cassie, "you strike fear among the living and the dearly departed," she closed her eyes, "I can hear them, the dead of this world, they know what you can do and what you'll do to them. They cannot rest until you are destroyed!"

"You mean…?" Aiden asked.

"That's right," said Cassie as she glared at Anton, "this abomination is a Necromancer! He violates the dead to learn their secrets!"

"And why shouldn't I take the secrets of the dead?" Anton asked, "they're just that, dead! They don't need them anymore."

"But they still feel pain!" snapped Cassie, "you rip and tear and break and crumble the dead down to their bare essence and their minds feel everything! It's agony for them! You know this, and you enjoy it!"

"Yes!" said Anton in a vicious tone, "I enjoy violating the dead. Just as I will enjoy violating you after you are dead. I will tear out your secrets." he looked at Reina and Rita, "except for you two. You I will keep alive for the mother to finish off. She has a bone to pick with you."

"Likewise," said Reina, "so were is the undead bitch?"

"Where you'll never find her," said Anton.

"She isn't here," said one of the espers, "the Lieutenant is the only Wamphyri left on this world."

"I won't be alone for long!" said Anton. His body then began to change; he grew two feet taller, while his neck elongated and his teeth grew even sharper. His limbs also elongated and his claws grew sharper too, while 6 inch spikes erupted from his body.

"Enjoy your last moments of life, foolish humans!" said Anton, "for soon, you shall be just like me, undead!"

"We'll see about that!" shouted one of the special ops as he leveled a crossbow and fired. The bolt hit Anton in the chest but missed the heart by a millimeter.

Anton pulled the bolt out and snapped it in half, "my turn!" he shouted. He then aimed his left wrist at the special ops and shot a spike, hitting the special ops in the eye. He fell to the ground dead as a doornail.

Our heroes and allies shouted in shock and denial at the sudden death of one of their own.

"One down," said a viciously grinning Anton. He then aimed his wrists at Sora and Kairi, "you're next!"

"Denied!" shouted one of the espers as he shot a psychic bolt at Anton. The psychic force slammed into the Wamphyri and forced him off balance. He nearly fell over.

Another special ops ran forward with an axe raised. Anton then regained his balance and backhanded the special ops in the face, breaking his neck and imbedding another spike in the head.

"That's two!" said Anton.

"There won't be a third!" shouted Sora. He then shot several Fireballs at Anton, whom dodged them all, before retaliating by shooting several spikes at Sora. He blocked them with his Keyblade, but then had to dodge a swipe of Anton's claws as the Wamphyri lunged at him.

Sora then brought up his Keyblade to block another claw swipe, but then had to roll out of the way as Anton spat a glob of green liquid at him. The liquid hit the ground and melted through.

"He can spit acid!" exclaimed Kairi as Anton turned his attentions on her, dodging claws and spikes.

"We really need to get a better handle of Wamphyri powers," said Cassie as she aimed her crossbow at Anton and fired. The bolt hit but again missed the heart.

"You'll know them soon enough!" shouted Anton as he rushed at Cassie.

Guy got in front with his knife raised. He pulled Cassie out of the way, while slicing his knife at Anton, cutting through the Wamphyri's left hand.

"Now that was uncalled for," said Anton as he stared at his severed hand. He then held up his left arm and before everyone's eyes, pseudo flesh grew out of the stump and a new hand formed.

"You've got to be kidding me," said Aiden. He then aimed his Keyblade at the ground beneath Anton and transmuted it into spikes, impaling the feet of the undead monster. Yet Anton pulled himself from the spikes and the wounds healed themselves within seconds.

"At this rate he'll kill us before we kill him!" shouted Aiden, while Tess went invisible. But then Anton shot several spikes at empty air, forcing Tess to become visible again as she dodged the spikes.

"Alright, that's enough!" shouted Reina, "get ready for the pain!" she then crossed her arms and began charging up a spell.

"Everyone duck!" shouted Rita. Not wanting to argue, our heroes and allies ducked, just as Rita released her magic in the form of a green wave that slammed into Anton, breaking the spines and several of his bones.

"You bitch!" shouted Anton, "I'll kill you! Just you wait until I heal!" but after a few seconds his broken bones were still broken, "I'm not healing, why am I not healing?"

"I used an anti-healing spell," said Reina, "some would consider it dark magic, but only if its used to kill. This was just to stop you from recovering."

"Which leaves us to finish you off!" said Rita as she and her twin powered up their fire attacks.

"Likewise!" said Roxas as he and Sora prepared to cast fire spells as well.

"You think you can defeat me!" exclaimed Anton, "I'm not finished yet!" He then pulled out a flash grenade and threw it at the ground. It went off and our heroes were momentarily blinded. Anton then ran for the escape tunnel.

"Don't let him get away!" shouted Rita as our heroes struggled to recover their sight.

But then they heard a series of explosions from deep inside the escape tunnel. It soon collapsed before Anton could reach it.

"We hacked into the mines in the tunnel as well," said Guy.

"I'm still not finished yet!" shouted Anton as he pulled out another flash grenade and threw it to the ground, blinding our heroes once again.

This time Anton ran for the side chamber where the crystal ball lay.

"Mother Zerlina!" shouted Anton as he grabbed the crystal ball, which glowed and then showed the eyes of the Wamphyri Lady, "my Thralls have all been destroyed and I am severely wounded! Help me! Please! The enemy, they are indeed both Keyblade Wielders and from E-Branch! They mean to destroy me! Please, help me!"

But then a pulse of dark magic shot out from the crystal ball, hitting Anton with the force of a train and knocking him against the back wall, while Zerlina's eyes burned with disappointed rage, "you are a failure, Anton, and I have no tolerance for failure!"

"Mother," said a shocked Anton, "please, do not abandon me!"

"Perhaps your brother and sister will prove to be better offspring than you were, Anton," said Zerlina, "goodbye, I shall miss you, but I've already washed my hands of you." With that the crystal ball shattered into countless tiny pieces.

Just then Reina, Rita and Sora burst into the side room, "no more tricks, vampire!' shouted Reina. With that she, her twin and Sora unleashed their fire attacks on Anton, but he rolled out of the way and got past them and ran back into the main chamber of the nest. He then started for the main tunnel.

But Aiden got to the entrance of the main tunnel first and held out his Keyblade. With a flash of alchemic energy, his Keyblade was transformed into an elaborately crafted crossbow.

"I almost forgot I could do this," said Aiden as he picked up a crossbow bolt and transmuted the steel head into silver, loaded it into the crossbow and aimed at Anton. The vampire tired to get away but Aiden pulled the trigger, the bolt flying true and hitting the undead abomination in the heart.

With a mute grunt of pain, Anton fell to the ground. He thrashed about and struggled to get back up, but the bolt in his heart had sapped him of his strength.

"I'd give my eyeteeth to be able to do that with my Keyblade," said Tess to Aiden as he loaded another transmuted bolt into his crossbow.

"I'd teach you the alchemic formula," said Aiden, "but I doubt it'd make any sense to you."

"We'll talk later," said Kairi.

"Well, look at this," said Rita as she and Reina stood over the weakened Anton, "shoe's on the other foot now."

"How does it feel to be completely helpless?" Reina asked, "like a human about to be killed by one of you bastards."

"You think…killing me…will solve…your problems?" Anton gasped, "your troubles…are just beginning. My brother and…sister will…avenge me. And even if…you defeat them…there's still…the mother. Zerlina will…rip you…apart and devour…your souls!"

"Not if we rip her apart first," said Reina.

"In the meantime," she looked at Sora and the others, "will someone please cut this asshole's head off already?"

"With pleasure," said Riku as he stepped forward.

"Wait," said Cassie. She walked up to Anton, "you said you have a brother and a sister. I'm willing to guess that they're Wamphyri Lieutenants, like you. Where are they?"

"Where you'll…never find them!" spat Anton.

"Dwarf Woodlands and The Enchanted Dominion," said Sora, "they've had murders and disappearances just like on this world."

"So there's more Wamphyri in the realms of light," said Guy, "no matter, we'll find them and put them down, all of them."

"Just one more thing," said Rita to Anton, "where's Zerlina?"

"Screw you, bitch!" spat Anton.

"Screw this," said Riku as he swung his Keyblade down, cutting off Anton's head. From the exposed neck emerged a long, red, eyeless snake-like creature that had a mouth full of razor-sharp teeth.

"That's the real vampire," said Cassie, "the undead leach."

"Then let's exterminate this pest," said Rita. She and her sister their powers to burn all of Anton to ashes, while Reina cast her air refreshing spell to counter the smoke.

"And that's that," said Reina "it's over." She looked at one of the espers, "it is over, right?"

"I'm not sensing any more Wamphyri," said the esper, This word is free of the undead."

"And at peace," said a smiling Cassie, "the dearly departed are all sighing with relief with the destruction of the vampires."

"Meanwhile our problems are just getting started," said Guy as he looked at the two fallen special ops, "we need to take care of them," he walked over to the fallen ones and removed a set of dog tags from each of them, then motioned to one of the remaining special ops to turn his flamethrower on the corpses, incinerating them before they could rise as new Thralls.

"Hazard of fighting evil," said Guy as he pocketed the dog tags, "they knew the job was dangerous when they took it, we all did." he looked at Sora and the others, "if you have a problem with this, know that it's how we do things at E-Branch."

"Who said we had a problem?" Sora asked, "sure, it's horrible that we lost some friends tonight and that we had to destroy them before they became vampires, but hey, you can't win them all."

"Even if we win a whole lot of the time," said Kairi, "but that doesn't mean we have to put up with it from now on. There's got to be a way to save someone infected by a Wamphyri, I mean someone still alive who's been infected."

"There is no cure," Cassie insisted, "our science and occult research have found no cure to the infection. Once bitten, you're a gonner."

"Your science and magic may not have a cure," said Namine, "but that doesn't mean our science and magic can't cut it."

"If there's a way," said, "said Kairi, "if there is a cure, we'll find it."

"In the meantime," said Sora, "we've got at least two more worlds to free of Wamphyri, maybe more."

"Zerlina's still out there," said Reina, "we can't go home until we've finished her for good."

"So we might as well fully team up with you guys," said Rita, "considering that we don't have a ride."

"You thought there would be vampires on only one world here in the realms of light?" Roxas asked.

"Of course not!" said Cassie.

"Then how were you supposed to go to other worlds?" Sora asked, "can you open your own portals?"

"Ah, no," said Rita, "we can only open a return portal to our own world."

"Then how were you supposed to get around in the realms of light?" Kairi asked, "what, were you going to hitchhike or something?"

"We never really thought this part of the mission out," said Reina in a slightly sheepish tone.

"Well, you won't be hitchhiking, not on our watch," said Sora, "you can ride with us in our ship, _The Star Child_."

"Reminds me of A Space Odyssey," muttered one of the espers.

* * *

A short time later our heroes and allies emerged from beneath the underground and up into the streets of the town, just as dawn was breaking over the world.

"At least the nightmare is over for this world," said Cassie.

"The real nightmare will be over soon enough," said Riku.

Just then Cinderella and Robert ran up to the group, "what happened?" Robert asked franticly.

"Well, in a nutshell," said Tess, "the Wamphyri are all burned out."

"There won't be any more murders or dissapearences," said Kairi, "it's over."

"But not for us," said Riku.

"There are other worlds being attacked by the Wamphyri," said Sora, "so we've got to go after them."

"Do you really have to go so soon?" Cinderella asked.

"The sooner we get to the next world," said Aiden, "the sooner we can stop the vampires from killing any more people."

"And from making more vampires," said Rita, "so we've got to go, now."

"We can't go yet," said Reina, "there's someone I want to talk to first."

"Who?" Rita asked.

But then Reina saw someone walking up the street, "oh, wait, there she is! Penny! Penny Dubois!"

The woman approaching was indeed the dress shop keeper, Penny Dubois. She then saw Reina and walked up to her, "oh, it's you from yesterday. How was the ball?"

"Both wonderful and dreadful," said Reina.

"We were attacked by vampires," said Tess, "but we destroyed them in retaliation."

"Oh, alright," said Penny, "it must have been horrific. I'd help if I could have, but I'm just a weather witch."

"You're a very talented weather witch, Ms. Dubois," said Cinderella, "quite a few of the ladies at the ball were commenting on what Reina and Tess wore, on how elegant, tasteful and overall lovely their gowns were."

"Really?" Penny asked eagerly.

"Indeed," said Cinderella, "they were so pleased, I was pestered with questions of where the dresses came from. If you would give me your contact information, I'll be sure to forward it to everyone who asked."

"You will?" Penny asked in an even more eager tone, while munny signs appeared in her eyes. "Princess! This is fantastic! I'll do everything in my power to make everyone who comes into my shop a satisfied customer! All for the beauty and art of the dress!"

"I'm sure you will," said a smiling Cinderella.

"They'll be alright," said Kairi, "so, let's get going already."

"I prefer the usual," said Aiden as he pressed his wrists, "alright, let's do this!"

After saying goodbye to Cinderella, Robert and Penny, our heroes and allies returned to the space elevator, rode it up to the orbital platform, paid the docking fee and boarded _The Star Child_.

"It's a good thing that Gummy ships are bigger on the inside," said Sora.

"And that they have spells that allow them to have additional rooms installed," said Namine.

"And additional bathrooms," said Aiden.

"Now that everyone's settled in," said Riku as the ship powered up and went through a preflight check, "all we need to do is figure our who does the cooking?"

"Did you say cooking!" Rita asked happily, "I happen to be a prodigy with a grill and a fryer."

"And I'm a wizard at baking an steaming," said Reina, "but don't ask me to do any laundry." she suddenly looked sheepish, "I broke the last washing machine I used."

"And I'm terrible with a needle and thread," said Rita in a slightly ashamed tone, "and between the two of us, we're total klutzes at cleaning."

"It's alright," said Kairi, "we'll work out the chores later."

"We're cleared of the docking ring and are leaving orbit," said Riku, "which world should we go to next?"

"The nearest one is Dwarf Woodlands," said Kairi, "the home of Snow White."

"Then that's where we'll go," said Sora, "set course for Dwarf Woodlands."

"You might want to brace yourselves," said Tess to Cassie, Guy and the twins, "hyperspace travel can be a little rough for first timers."

"It's unpleasantly like being drunk," said Aiden.

"What's so unpleasant about being drunk?" Reina asked.

Our heroes were all about to say, 'ask a glass of water,' when the ship jumped into hyperspace, causing the twins, Cassie and Guy, as well as the rest of the E-Branch team to turn green in the face and nearly throw up.

"That's what's unpleasant about it," said Sora.

* * *

…Someplace Dark…

"So," said Zerlina, "the twins are indeed involved, and they've dragged the Keyblade Wielders into our little feud. All the better for me. They will all become part of my family, those who survived, and after I'm done playing with them that is."

**The end of chapter 4.**

Next chapter finds our heroes and allies arriving at the hole of Snow White, wile over at Radiant Garden, Ansem is forced to confront a ghost of his past. Reviews will be rewarded with cake and pie. See you then!


	5. Chapter 5: Into The Woods

Last time found our heroes journeying into the underground of the Castle of Dreams to hunt the Wamphyri. They learned about the different types of Wamphyri vampires, ranging from slave-like Thralls to boss-level Lieutenants, what Anton is, and uber-vampire Lords and Ladies, which is what Zerlina is. Anton and his Thralls prepared a deadly reception of traps for our heroes, but the E-Branch team rooted the traps out and our heroes burst into the nest of the vampires. It was a brutal battle, in which wasn't without casualties on the side of good, but the Thralls were all destroyed and Anton met a fiery end. Our heroes then said goodbye to Cinderella and company and set off for the next world, unaware that Zerlina was aware of our heroes movements. 'Nuff said, on with the show!

**Chapter 5: Into The Woods**

"You guys really are good cooks," said Sora as our heroes and allies sat down to a mouthwatering dinner of traditional Chinese dishes made by the twins. They had prepared all sorts of vegetables, beef, chicken and pork dishes, as well as noodles and even pickled vegetables.

"We're sorry we couldn't do a proper desert," said Reina as everyone started eating, "we tried to bake a cake, but it turned out completely wrong."

"We normally don't have that kind of bad luck in the kitchen," said Rita.

"It's alright," said Sora, "someone stuffed the freezer with enough Sea Salt Ice Cream to sink a boat. I'll bet it was Donald's nephews."

"And we've got enough toppings to sink another boat," said Kairi.

"Toppings are important," said Reina, "but, it's just not completely right."

"If only the Boss had let Yukie come on, as support of course," said Rita, "then she'd make her special Mochi ice cream," she sighed happily, "she makes the best Mochi ice cream in existence, end of discussion."

"Mango, strawberry, cherry, pineapple, it's all good," said Reina happily, "and her triple chocolate cake with lime icing, to die for, and so is her peach crumble."

"Who's Yukie?" Aiden asked.

"A very dear friend of ours," said Reina, "whom couldn't be here."

"For more than one reason," said Cassie, "we really could have benefited from her, besides her confectionary skills. Yukie Parker knows more about Wamphyri than anyone else on our world; their origins, their history, strength, weaknesses and their psychology, all that we know, we learned from Yukie."

"If she's so invaluable an expert," said Riku, "why isn't she here?"

At that all the E-Branch members looked like they had something important but embarrassing to tell, "it's a long and complicated story," said Guy.

"Well, we've got time," said Tess.

"It'll be a few more hours to Dwarf Woodlands," said Kairi, "so let's hear the story."

"Well, alright," said Rita, "but pay attention, 'cause we'll only tell it once."

"It was shortly after my sister and I joined with E-Branch," said Reina, "our first field mission had us working with Scotland Yard, Interpol and the FBI to take down a human trafficking ring operating in London. These bastards were kidnapping young girls, some as young as 9, from all over the world and selling them as sex slaves."

"The authorities got a tip that a huge auction would be going on involving hundreds of girls being sold to the highest bidder," said Rita, "these would be newly kidnapped girls and 'experienced' girls. And the auction would be guarded by dozens of thugs armed with heavy weapons and a few unscrupulous espers, so E-Branch was brought in to help balance the equation."

"Not all espers are good," said Cassie, "some are downright evil, but that's a story for later. Back to the mission, the FBI was involved not just because American girls were being kidnapped and sold at the auction, but because one specific and very special girl would be sold as well."

"Yukie Parker is a true prodigy," said Guy, "being of Japaneese-American descent, she graduated from MIT and Harvard, with PhD's in physics, biochemistry, computer science and confectionary arts, all before she was 15."

"And she's cute to boot," said one of the special ops, earning a sharp glare from Rita.

"But the kidnapping bastards took Yukie," said Reina, "and they were going to sell her. By the time we were all in position to raid the auction, Yukie had been sold to a pervert with a fetish for Japanese schoolgirls. We attacked the auction but in the confusion of the raid, the pervert tried to get away with her."

"Fortunately for Yukie," said Rita, "she's also a master of Judo. The only reason why the bastards managed to kidnapped her was because they killed her parents and used a tranquilizer gun on her. She fought back against her 'owner' and nearly got away, but the slimy pig got angry and pushed her out of a window." At that Rita looked very ashamed.

"We were so wrapped up in kicking the asses of the kidnappers and buyers," said Reina, "that we didn't even notice Yukie until one of the FBI agents told us to go look for her. By then it was too late and Yukie had fell two stories and broke her back on the pavement outside."

"Oh," said a shocked Kairi, while Sora, Riku, Aiden, Tess, Roxas and Naminé also looked shocked.

"The doctors did everything they could," said Rita, "but Yukie was paralyzed below the waist, she'll never walk again. All of this; the kidnapping, her parents murdered, being sold to a slime ball of a human being and having her back broken, it would have destroyed her in mind and heart."

"But if one thing could be said about Yukie," said Reina, "she's too stubborn to simply curl up and die. She's gone through rehab and therapy and has become very capable, almost able to completely take care of herself at home and work."

"And her work," said Cassie, "with her family gone, she asked to stay with E-Branch and use her mental talents to help fight evil, both human and nonhuman."

"She's kind of our unofficial adopted sister," said Reina, "and a very, very good friend. She never blamed us for not saving her in time."

"Even though we could have if we had been just a bit more focused," said Rita.

"Stop it!" snapped Cassie, "no one has ever accused you of failing her."

"Everyone involved in taking down that trafficking ring got more than a little unprofessional when the moment of truth came," said Guy, he then looked at Sora and the others, "I should know, I was on that mission too. I admit, when I saw what was being done to those girls, I partly lost my head and cut off more than a few kidnappers heads."

"But again," said Cassie, "Yukie never blamed us for what happened to her, and she has flourished in E-Branch."

"She's the most brilliant mind of her generation," said Rita, "and our best friend for life. Part of me wishes that she could be with us to help fight the Wamphyri, but I'm also glad that she's safe at home."

"Pride is Yukie's weakness," said Reina, "she's got a hot temper that goes off whenever someone questions her capability and if allowed free rein, she'd dash headlong into the jaws of death without regard for her own safety or for the fact that she's in a wheelchair."

"Sounds like she can't stand to be told that she can't do something," said Aiden, "no pun intended."

"_'Don't tell me what I can't do,'_" said Reina, "that's Yukie's motto."

"Well, when you see her," said Kairi, "tell her that we wish her well and that she's awesome."

"I'll be sure to tell her myself," said Rita.

A short time later dinner was finished, followed by ice cream and toppings. Our heroes and allies then retired to a recreation room that had been added to the ship along with the additional sleeping quarters and such.

"Since we've still got time before we get to the next world," said Naminé, "I'd like to take a crack at your memories."

"I'm not so sure about that," said Reina cautiously, "I mean, no one else has been able to help us."

"If science couldn't cure our amnesia," said Rita, "what makes you think that magic can?"

"Because it's what I'm good at," said Naminé as she pulled out her sketchpad and her pencils, "that and drawing."

"She's helped out a lot of people with memory problems," said Kairi, "trust me, Naminé knows what she's doing."

"Alright," said Rita, "but you'd better not make things worse for me and my sister."

"Like making us forget more than we already have," said Reina.

"I'd never do that to you," said Naminé, "you're heads are messed up enough as it is. I promise to be careful with your memories. Now hold still while I draw you."

"Why do you need to draw us?" Reina asked as she and Rita sat down on a sofa together.

"It helps me focus," said Naminé as she began sketching the twins, "now hold still…uh-huh, yeah, Reina, tilt your head a bit to the left and up just an inch, and Rita, do the same only to the right…yeah, much better angle and better lighting, now hold still."

A few minutes later she had finish capturing every nuance and details of the twin's faces.

"There," said Naminé, "now we can begin," she leaned forward and touched the twins on their foreheads, her left hand on Reina and her right hand on Rita. Naminé then closed her eyes and focused her magic.

"How do we know if it's working?" Cassie asked.

"We'll know when the twins are happily smiling and shouting that they remember," said Roxas.

But after a minute, Naminé frowned in frustration and leaned back, taking her hands away from the twins. She looked at them apologetically, "I'm sorry, there's nothing I can do."

"What do you mean there's nothing you can't do?" Rita asked irately, "just fix our memories!"

"Is something wrong with them?" Reina asked, "are they all scrambled? Or are they sealed away by a curse or an enchantment? Or are they just repressed because we went through something really traumatic?"

At that Naminé looked as if she had really bad news to deliver, "I can't fix your memories, because they're not there."

"Excuse me?" Rita asked.

"What do you mean our memories aren't there?" Reina asked.

"It's just that," said Naminé, "there's no trace of your memories. There's just a big hole in your minds where years and years of experiences should be."

"A hole in our minds?" Reina asked, "I don't feel that there's a hole in my mind."

"Neither do I," said Rita irately, "I knew this was a waist of time."

"No, it wasn't," said Naminé in a determined tone, "I believe I know the cause of your amnesia. Your memories aren't sealed or repressed…they've been stolen."

"Stolen?" Tess asked.

"Yes," said Naminé, "stolen, by dark magic."

"Someone used magic to take our memories?" Rita asked.

"Who would do that to us?" Reina asked.

"I'm sure that wherever you originally came from," said Guy, "you had some very powerful and ruthless enemies."

"I'm not surprised," said Rita.

"But why would they do this to us?" Reina asked, "what could my sister and I have possibly done to have had our memories, our experiences, our identities, stolen like this? What did we do?"

"I'm more interested in who did it," said Rita as she pounded her left fist into her right palm, eager to enact some retribution, "that and how we're going to get our memories back."

"My guess is that whomever did this to you knows how to cure you," said Aiden.

"Most likely," said Naminé, "usually a curse or enchantment can be undone by the one who cast it, or there's some other cure."

"Like when Beast leaned to love and be loved," said Sora.

"Exactly," said Naminé, "but in the case of the twins, I say find the one who stole their memories and force the guilty party to give them back."

"Sounds like a winning plan to me," said Reina.

"In the meantime," said Sora, "we've got to destroy the Wamphyri before they inflict more harm on the realms."

"Yeah, Zerlina," said Rita, "we've got that score to settle."

"Wamphyri first," said Reina, "then memories."

A short time later _The Star Child _exited hyperspace and approached a very green world that had a castle, a cottage and a very dark forest.

"There's the next world," said Riku.

"Home of Snow White," said Kairi.

"Any sign of a space elevator?" Sora asked.

"Nope," said Aiden, "but there is a landing port on the planet near the main castle, so we can just set down there."

**...Dwarf Woodlands...**

Upon landing they went through the spaceport customs and surprisingly, got through all the red tape involved with such a bureaucracy in a relatively short time.

"That took a lot less than I thought it would," said Guy.

"What did you expect?" Sora asked.

"A lot worse than what we just did," said Cassie, "considering all the crap that you have to go through at the airports on our world."

"I think we had help going through customs," said Riku as they exited the spaceport complex.

"And I think I know who helped us," said Kairi. There ahead of our heroes and allies was none other than Snow White, wearing her usual outfit.

"Hello, dear friends," said Snow White, "it's so lovely to see you again."

"Hey, Snow," said Kairi, "how's it been?"

"Recently," said Snow White, "not so well, what with all the horrible incidences happening."

"The murders and disappearances," said Aiden, "we know the cause of it."

"My dear lady, Snow White," said Guy, "your world is infested with vampires."

"I know" said Snow White in a grave tone, "The evidence of their presence is too overwhelming to ignore. But how did this happen in the first place?"

"We're not exactly sure how they got to this world in the first place," said Cassie, "my thoughts are that the real leader, the alpha Wamphyri, Zerlina, made some Wamphyri Lieutenants and sent them to all of these worlds, including yours. The Lieutenant then bit some humans and turned them into Thralls."

"Wait, introductions first," said Kairi. She then introduced Snow White to Aiden, Tess, Roxas, Naminé, Reina, Rita, Guy, Cassie and the rest of the E-Branch team.

"It's nice to meat you," said Snow White, "and thank you for coming to help."

"Any chance to kill Wamphyri," said an eagerly smiling Reina.

"So, what's the situation?" Rita asked, "any idea how many vamps we have to incinerate?"

"I'm working on it," said the esper who could sense Wamphyri, a woman in her early 30's with short brown hair, blue-gray eyes behind glasses and wore a blue jacket over a blue t-shirt and blue jeans with blue shoes, "and don't rush me. my power isn't an exact science."

"We know that," said Reina, "so relax, girlfriend, we've got plenty of time."

"Time?" exclaimed the esper, "we don't have time to worry about time! And don't call me girlfriend! I have a name, it's Danna Scutter, remember it."

"We know, Danna," said Cassie, "we know how upset you get over your name and time."

"Damn right I get upset," said the esper, Danna Scutter, "I shouldn't even be here! I was supposed to go on vacation, but the Boss canceled my paid leave so I could come to this bizarre universe, fighting nightmares come to life and risk becoming an undead abomination myself, right, no pressure."

"What's her problem?" Roxas whispered.

"Danna has OCD," said Reina in a hushed tone, "or so we've been told."

"She's obsessed with the color blue," said Rita, "and hates it when she's called by something else other than her name. She gets pissed when even called 'dear' by her boyfriend back home."

"Uh, right," said Sora, "anything else we need to know?"

"Whatever you do," said Reina, "don't say the word 'quagmire' in front of her. It causes her to have an anxiety attack and do this really weird ritual in order to calm down. It's nothing evil, just weird. Other than that, Danna's alright."

"Right," said Sora, "we won't say," he then whispered, "quagmire."

"So, what exactly are we dealing with here, Danna?" Rita asked.

"I am definitely sensing a Wamphyri Lieutenant," said Danna Scutter, "and a lot of Thralls, except…"

"Except what?" Sora asked.

"They're different from the Thralls on the last world," said Danna Scutter.

"Different how?" Reina asked.

"They're…I don't rightly know how to describe it," said Danna, "they're…moving differently. The Thralls we fought before moved more…fluidly…more…naturally. These Thralls are stiff…more…bouncy?"

"Stiff and bouncy?" Rita asked in a confused tone.

"That's what I sensed," said Danna, "I'm sorry, but that's how my ability works. Oh, still no sign of Zerlina, as if her power would let me find her in the first place."

"You did your best," said Snow White, "that's all that anyone could ever think of."

"I do have a general idea of where they are coming from," said Danna Scutter, "from the forest on the other side of that clearing."

"Yes, the forest," said Snow White, "it's so big that you can get lost all to easily. And the trees grow so big and so thick, it can be very dark there."

"The perfect place to hide a bunch of undead abominations," said Riku.

"I'm afraid it's worse," said Snow White, "my dear friends, the Seven Dwarves, they are still at their cottage in the forest. Even with the current crisis, with so many deaths and disappearances, they refused my offer to come to the castle for protection. I've had it fortified against these horrible monsters."

"I can see that," said Kairi as she and the others looked at the castle. All around the stone walls were trenches full of oil, waiting for a spark to ignite them, while the ramparts were full of soldiers armed with crossbows and spears. Here and there were makeshift flamethrowers and there were also bladed traps waiting to be sprung and swing at undead heads.

"We've done the best we can," said Snow White, "and we've fended off more than a few attacks, yet my friends, the Dwarves, still refuse to come here where it's safe."

"Stubborn little guys, huh?" Reina asked.

"More like…protective of what's theirs," said Snow White, "their home and their mines. They insisted that they could take care of themselves, but did appreciate the offer of help."

"They're still in danger," said Kairi, "I'm not doubting their courage and all, but they've no idea what they're up against."

"We've got to warn them," said Sora, "if the Wamphyri are in the woods, then the Dwarves could be their next target."

"Assuming they're still alive," said Tess, "sorry if I sound morbid, but it's a distinct possibility that they may already be dead, or worse, undead."

"If that's the case," said Guy as he touched the handle of his knife, "we'll do what has to be done."

"If your friends have been infected by the vampire plague," said Cassie to Snow White, "then death, final death, is the only release."

At that Snow White looked crestfallen, yet stable enough to accept the truth, "I understand, but I do hope it does not come to that. My little friends helped me when I was in dire need, and now they are the ones who need help."

"We'll help them alright," said Sora, at that the others nodded in agreement.

"In the meantime," said Rita to Snow White, "there are things you and your people can do to keep yourselves safe from the undead."

"They're highly allergic to garlic," said Reina, "and silver hurts them the most. Shoot them in the heart with a wooden steak or an arrow, but silver works best."

"After you steak them," said Guy, "cut the head off and burn the whole thing. Oh, and religious icons help."

"They can't stand the sight of a cross or any symbol of god," said Cassie, "holy water only annoys them, but a cross on a door can keep them back."

"There's something else," said Danna Scutter, "mirrors. Wamphyri do cast reflections but they avoid mirrors, especially Thralls; they can't stand the sight of their own evil."

"I'll be sure to pass this on to the proper channels," said Snow White, "anything else?"

"There is one more thing," said Danna, "but it's not really helpful."

"What is it?" Aiden asked, "anything can help."

"Well," said Danna as she cleaned her glasses, "Wamphyri are especially venerable to certain diseases. Bubonic plague for example, and leprosy, they have little if no defense against such diseases. Oh, and also _**Streptococcus pyogenes**_, or any species of flesh eating bacteria, it'll eat them alive within a matter of minutes."

"I feel both disgusted and impressed," said Kairi, "and no, we won't be waging biological warfare against the Wamphyri."

"Why not?" Rita asked, "they'd use biological weapons, and chemical and radioactive, against us if they could."

"Think of the consequences on the civilian population," said Guy, "and on us. One little slip and we'll all die, so no germ warfare."

"Right," said Sora, "we won't use that to fight the Wamphyri."

"We'll think of something else," said Kairi, "in the meantime, we've got some Dwarves to warn."

* * *

**…Radiant Garden…**

"Oh come on, Squall," said Quistis as she followed Leon through the castle hallway, "at least talk to me."

"I don't want to!" said Leon, "I don't want to talk to you about anything, especially about the old days."

"Why said anything about bringing up the old days?" Quistis asked, "I just want to catch up with you, Squall. We've been through too much to let what happened to break up our friendship."

"I still don't want to talk about it!" said Leon.

"At least she got him out of his room," said Areith to Yuffie as they, Cid and Ansem, followed Quistis and Leon from a safe distance.

"And at least he's talking back to her," said Yuffie, "with Leon, that's progress."

Just then Ansem walked up to the observers, "have they still not made up yet?" he asked.

"Give them time," said Cid, "and ain't you got business with that dang old computer of yours done yet?"

"Didn't you say that what you needed to do with your computer was seriously important?" Yuffie asked, "and you've been back almost a day now."

"It is of an important matter," said Ansem, "but what needs to be done requires specific programs to be run first before I get to the truly important part," he checked his PDA, "which shouldn't be too much longer."

"Look, Squall," said Quistis.

"Stop calling me Squall!" said Leon, "I am Leon now."

"Okay…Leon," said Quistis hesitantly, "I won't talk about the past. But I would like to talk about the future."

"As long as it's a future in which you're not in mine," said Leon.

At that Quistis had had enough, "will you stop being an emo git for two freaking minutes! I've come a long way to talk to you, so you're going to hear me out, weather you want to or not.

"I'm here to start a new SeeD Garden here in the realms of light, hopefully here on Radiant Garden. With all the insanity that's been happening here, the bosses think that it would be a good idea for us mercenaries to be here if we're needed."

At that Leon paused in thought, "that's actually a good idea," he admitted.

"Another good idea would be for you to help set it up," said Quistis, "if only as a consultant. You can be in charge if you want, but if not, I'll take the job."

At that Leon thought it over for a while, "I only have to help get things set up?" Leon asked, "I don't actually have to make any decisions or send anyone to die?"

"that's the gist of things," said Quistis, "although it would make things easier if we got a few more of the old gang back to help, you know, Zell, Irvine, Selphie and Riona."

At that Leon tensed and glared at Quistis, "Riona's the last person I want to see, so just forget about that part, Quistis."

"I respect that," said Quistis, "but what about the rest of our comrades? I know that Selphie is alive, but she doesn't remember us. We need to find her and help restore her memories."

"I think Sora talked about a friend named Selphie," said Yuffie, "she's a bit younger than Sora, but if what Leon told me about his SeeD days, what little he did, the Selphie he knew was fifteen or so at the time, and this was over five years ago."

"It doesn't make sense," said Areith, "Leon's Selphie and Sora's Selphie can't be the same person."

"Perhaps not," said Ansem, "or perhaps so, depending on how you look at it."

"My ears are burning!" Leon said irately.

"Oh, well…" said a sheepish Yuffie as she, Areith and Ansem came from around the corner, "if you'd like to be alone, we'll just…"

"Oh, never mind," sighed Leon. He then looked at Quistis, "I'll help get the new SeeD Garden set up and teach a few classes, but that's it. And don't even think you can convince me to go after our old team. Those days are over, dead and burried."

"Alright," said Quistis as she held out her hand, "I'll leave things be. Now, I think we should get started with our work."

"Yeah," said Leon as he shook Quistis' hand.

"Well, glad that worked out," said Yuffie.

"Shouldn't you be doing something else right now?" Leon said to Yuffie, "like finish getting the castle back together?"

"Oh, right," said Yuffie, "there's still a few things to iron out."

"And I have paperwork that needs to be signed," said Areith, "bueracrats, they're never satisfied unless you fill things out in triplicate."

"And I have my own affairs to take care of," said Ansem. He then bowed to Leon, Quistis, Yuffie and Areith, "good day to you all."

With that Ansem headed through the corridors to his study. It was still the same mess that it was when Sora, Donald and Goofy found it. Ansem made a mental note to clean things up later, but first things first.

He walked through the passageway to the computer room. He typed in a long password and hit enter. He then spoke to the computer, "hello, Tron."

Just then Tron's face appeared on the main computer screen, "hello, Ansem," said Tron, "how are you?"

"I'm fine, than you," said Ansem, "how are you this day?"

"I'm fine," said Tron, "all systems are running at peek efficiency"

"Excellent," said Ansem. He then grew serious, "now, I'd like you to check the status of the file marked 'Nemesis.'"

"Running execution," said Tron. After a few seconds, he spoke again, "status of file 'Nemesis' is green. Level 5 security protocols all intact."

"They are now," said Ansem, "but check for any fluctuations in the security protocols within the past seven days."

"Searching…" said Tron, "…there was a minuscule fluctuation in the protocols, lasting only seven tenths of a second during which a low frequency signal was sent out."

"That's what I was thought happened," said Ansem, "activate digitizer. I wish to check the security protocols in person. If _he_ could get a brief signal out, he could do much more."

"Activating digitizer," said Tron, "prepare for immersion on the grid."

The giant digitizer behind Ansem powered up and, after Ansem turned around to face it, hit Ansem with the digitizing beam.

In the blink of an eye, Asem was inside The Grid and dressed in the glowing blue suit of the area.

Ansem then summoned a green Lightcycle and drove across The Grid to a giant wall. He then activated a hidden keypad and entered a series of codes. A doorway appeared and he went in, walking through a red and gold corridor that lead to another doorway with a keypad. Ansem entered the code and the door opened, revealing another corridor, this one green and gold that lead to another door.

He passed through several more doors and corridors, eventually coming to a larger door, one made completely of blue steel with a viewing grate. The door was secure by a simple lock.

A reedy, high-pitched, sinister voice came from the other side of the door, "I take it you got my message, old friend," said the voice.

"Indeed," said Ansem as he stepped closer to the door, "after all this time, my old comrade. Why wait until now to get my attention?"

"I merely wanted to say hello," said the voice, "and to offer my congratulations for your successful salvation of the realms, for the second time."

"You're aware of what happened with Young Xehanort?" Ansem asked, "and with Gideon and Maleficent?"

"I've been keeping tabs on you since you trapped me in this digital dungeon," said the voice, "physically I haven't aged a day, but my mind, oh yes, my mind, has grown much, much more vast. Even though my power to interact with the real world is almost nonexistent, I have access to data across the worlds. I have more knowledge now than you ever will in your entire life."

"I can see that your digital banishment hasn't done anything to cure you of your megalomania," said Ansem

At that the voice let out a high toned, deranged giggle. "You still think me hopelessly mad," said the voice.

"You are mad!" said an outraged Ansem, "after what you did, only a madman could have done that. Now, is there something relevant that you wish to discuss? Or have I merely wasted my time in this visit?"

"I merely wanted to say hello," said the voice, "it's been so long, longer for me than you. I have been in this digital dungeon for an eternity, while only a few decades have past for you, old friend."

"I would be most appreciative if you would stop calling me that," said Ansem, "we are no longer friends, you and I. After what you did I feel nothing but contempt for you."

"Then why are you keeping me alive in this place?" the voice asked, "why not just derez me? Just get it over with already! I may have access to outside information, but it's nothing if I cannot use it to suits my own needs! I'm bored! I'm tired of being bored! So just kill me now and end it!"

"I should end it," said Ansem. As if on command, a big red button with a big black X on it appeared next to the door, "I should lay this to rest once and for all; your boredom and my shame." He held his hand out towards the button, seriously contemplating pressing the button, "with this, you will be deleted. I should do it."

"Then what's stopping you?" the voice asked, "why not finish it?"

Ansem held his hand barely a inch from the button, but he then stepped away from it, "no, I will not. Destroying you will not undo what you did. You committed an unforgivable crime, and for that you shall stay here, inside this prison, forever."

"You really are an old bastard, aren't you," said the voice, "so, this is goodbye then, until I eventually find a way to escape, and I shall escape, WITH SCIENCE!" at that he giggled again.

"That obscene laugh of yours is another thing that I shall not miss," said Ansem, "goodbye." With that he turned around and started walking away.

"You'll be back, old friend!" said the voice, "we'll be seeing each other a lot sooner than you think!"

Ansem didn't respond and he closed each door and locked them in turn.

Outside, he drove his light cycle back to the entry point and exited The Grid.

"Was everything alright, Ansem?" Tron asked as Ansem returned to the real world.

"As well as can be," said Ansem, "I wish to input a new protocol," he then began typing commands into the computer, "should 'Nemesis' try to escape or even so much as scratch the walls of his cell, triple the security measures. If they should fail, if there is any possibiity that he would escape, then he is to be immediately derezed. He thinks he can push my buttons. I say otherwise."

"Commands accepted," said Tron as Ansem finished the new programs, "you'll be notified if there are further disturbances. Will there be anything else?"

"Thank you, my friend," said Ansem, "that's all that I wish to do for now."

"Logging off, then," said Tron, "thank you and have a nice day." with that his face left the computer screen.

"One problem solved," said Ansem, "now, if only Xehanort would just return Ven's body, we would all be that much better off." With that he left the room.

* * *

**…Dwarf Woodlands...**

After receiving directions to the cottage of the Dwarves and well wishes from Snow White, our heroes dashed off into the forest.

"We should be at the cottage before we know it," said Sora.

"Let's hope we get there before we run into any Wamphyri," said Kairi.

"I'd rather just fight them and get it over with," said Rita.

"I'm more eager to fight Zerlina," said Reina, "you know, kill the head vampire. Maybe with her dead, then the other Wamphyri in the realms will all die, or turn back to human."

"There's no guarantee that killing Zerlina will do any of that," said Cassie, "it's a good idea, and I do hope that that happens."

"The only way to stop the Wamphyri is to kill them all," said Guy.

"But we can still hope for a cure or a vaccine," said Kairi.

"Just how are we going to do that?" Rita asked.

"I still don't know," said Kairi, "I guess we'll start with healing spells and work our way from there."

Just then Aiden stopped in his tracks, "my gods, I just had a stroke!"

"A what?" exclaimed our heroes and allies at the same time.

"Of genius!" said an excited Aiden.

"You've lost me there, man," said Riku.

"Mind telling us what you're so hyped up about?" Rita asked.

"Look, I've got all of these alchemic formula in my head," said Aiden, "I've had them ever since I got my Keyblade, most of them are for stuff I haven't figured out yet" he then changed his Keyblade into its crossbow form, "this is just one that I've gotten the hang of."

"You really ought to teach us that," said Tess as Aiden turned his Keyblade back to normal and vanished it.

"Later," said Aiden, "just now, I had a flash of insight on one of the formula. It's both a cure and a vaccine for a Wamphyri infection."

At that our heroes were taken aback, "you're kidding," said a stunned Reina.

"I am not," said Aiden, "I've got it right up here," he tapped his forehead.

"Then write it down," said Namine as she pulled out her sketchpad and a pencil, "so we can see it."

"It'd be my pleasure," said Aiden as he took the sketchpad and pencil and began writing the alchemic formula down, "just how long are you willing to wait?"

"How big is it?" Roxas asked.

"Pretty big," said Aiden as he continued to write. It wasn't long before Aiden filled one page and started on another. Then he filled the second page and started on a third.

"Good grief, man," said Riku.

"I've only just begun," said Aiden as he started on a fourth page.

"Alright, you've convinced us," said Namine.

"That's what Alchemy looks like?" Reina asked as she looked at the pages already written.

"That's just the formula," said Aiden, "the actual power lies in energy, that and equivalent exchange."

"'To obtain," said Reina, "'something of equal value must be lost.'"

"The Law of Equivalent Exchange," said Aiden, "how did you know that?"

"I…I don't know," said Reina, "I…I shouldn't know anything about Alchemy."

"There's no Alchemy on our world," said Guy.

"Not that we know of," said Cassie.

"There may be an answer to that," said Namine, "maybe, just maybe, not all of Reina's memories that were stolen were completely forgotten."

"Maybe she's starting to remember stuff," said Sora hopefully.

"I don't know," said Reina, "it's…kind of like an echo in my head. Wait," she closed her eyes in concentration, "I…I think…there are memories that I didn't remember before…except…"

"Except for what?" Rita asked in a concerned tone, "tell me?"

"None of them make any sense," said Reina, "they're all…pixilated, like they've been scrambled. I can't make heads of tails of them."

"Wait a second," said Rita as she closed her eyes in concentration, "yes, I'm also remembering stuff that doesn't make sense."

"What does it all mean?" Aiden asked, "what is this all about?"

"I don't know," said Reina, "this is…this is too much."

"No, it's not!" said Rita. She then touched her sister on the shoulders, "this is the first step towards recovering what was taken from us. There is hope for us, sister, hope that we can find the truth."

"Hope, yes, hope," said a now smiling Reina. She then looked at Aiden, "so, what's this about a cure and a vaccine?"

"It involves a lot of silver, garlic and other stuff," said Aiden, "and a lot of chalk. This will be the biggest, most complex transmutation circle I've ever made, possibly the biggest one in the history of alchemy. This goes way beyond a Grand Arcadium circle."

"But you can do it, right?" Cassie asked, "you can make a cure and a vaccine for the Wamphyri infection, right?"

"I can try," said Aiden, "and try I will, as soon as we've got the time to put it all together."

"We'll work on it as soon as we take care of the Wamphyri on this world," said Sora.

"Right," said Aiden. He then looked around in slight confusion, "did anyone notice this fog?"

Sora and the others looked around and realized that a hazy fog had rolled through the forest.

"When did this happen?" Kairi asked in a slightly nervous tone.

"Apparently right now," said Guy.

"Guys," said a visibly nervous Danna Scutter, "we've got company, of the undead sort."

"Where?" Sora asked as he and the others brought out their weapons and took up defensive postures.

"All around us," said Danna, "there's about…twenty of them, all hopping and bouncing around us."

"Hopping and bouncing?" Reina asked, "this sounds more than familiar."

Sora and the others looked around, trying to see through the obscuring mist for any sign of Wamphyri Thralls. Occasionally they thought they saw movement through the fog, but it only turned out to be an illusion.

"There!" shouted Tess as she threw her Keyblade at a shape in the fog, only for it to hit a tree.

"Save your energies!" said Guy, "don't do anything until you're absolutely sure."

But then Riku closed his eyes in concentration, waiting. Then he heard a twig snapping off to the right, "there!" he shouted and he threw his Keyblade into the fog. He was rewarded with a loud 'Thock!' as his Keyblade made contact with something other than a tree.

"Bullseye!" said Riku as he caught his Keyblade.

"You did something," said Danna, "and the others…they're bouncing away."

"Why?" Aiden asked.

"I don't know!" snapped Danna, "I don't know what goes on inside the head of a Thrall."

"Let's just burn the Thrall and go after the others," said Rita.

"Carefully," insisted Reina, "they could come back."

"No, they're beating a hasty retreat," said Danna, "I think the Lieutenant knows we're here and is withdrawing his forces to think things over."

"Regardless," said Rita, "let's just go burn the Thrall."

"We should question it," said Kairi, "try to figure out where the rest of the Thralls and the Lieutenant is."

"Oh, good idea," said Rita.

"They walked over to where Riku's Keyblade hit the Thrall. What they found was something more than they expected.

The creature was indeed an undead humanoid, his clothes ragged, his flesh pale and slightly decayed and blood red eyes. But his limbs were stiff, with his arms held straight out. On his forehead was a small sticker with Chinese characters written on it.

"This is the weirdest Thrall I've ever seen," said Guy.

"That's because it's not a Thrall," said Reina in a shocked tone, "it's a Jiang Shi!"

"A what?" Sora asked.

"Of course," said Rita, "a Jiang Shi, a Hopping Vampire from Chinese mythology."

"So now we're facing Chinese vampires?" Kairi asked.

"Makes you wonder what insanity we'll face next," said Tess.

"Bite your tongue," said Aiden, while Kairi and Namine rapped their knuckles on a nearby tree.

"I've got a feeling that it'll be bad," said Roxas, "whatever it is."

* * *

Somewhere deep inside the forest, in a place where the trees grew so thick and the fog was constantly rolling, all combining to permanently blot out the sun, a vile creature was evoking dark forces most foul.

The creature was somewhat short, no more than 5'2", wearing Mandarin robes and had a long, braided beard. His skin was pale gray and had red eyes and very long, sharp fingernails inlaid with gold.

The creature, whom called himself Wan Chian-ti, was chanting a spell in Mandarin over a cauldron that was heated by black flames, the cauldron had a potion that was at a rolling boil, occasionally he would add an ingredient to the potion, causing it to change color from blood red to venomous green.

"Soon it will be ready," said Wan Chian-ti as he added another ingredient, causing the potion to turn fuchsia, while it emitted indigo sparks, "soon this world shall die, and rise up to be undead."

Just then several Jiang Shi hopped up to the immortal abomination, "Master Wang," one of the hopping vampires whispered.

"Don't call me that!" snapped the Wamphyri Lieutenant, "my name is Wan-Chian-ti, remember it! Now what is it that's so important to interrupt my potion brewing?"

"The Keyblade Wielders have arrived in the forest, Master Wan Chian-ti," said another of the Jiang Shi.

"As Mother Zerlina informed us," said Wan Chain-ti, "let them come. They shall pay for the murder of Anton, my brother."

"But the twins are with The Keyblade Wielders," said another Jiang Shi.

"Again, as Mother Zerlina informed us," said Wan Chian-ti, "they shall all fall before the power of my dark creation," he added another ingredient to the potion, causing it to turn venomous yellow and emit orange sparks, "when it is complete, this draft shall turn every human on the world into one of us, undead, immortal, and loyal to the mother."

Just then another Jiang Shi hopped up, "master, the Keyblade Wielders, they are heading for the cottage of the midgets."

"The 7 Dwarves?" Wan Chian-ti asked. He then laughed viciously, "this will work out most splendidly." he turned to the Jiang Shi, "send a large force after them. Wait until they are the cottage, then attack, but only enough to grab their attention, then lure them here, the Keyblade Wielders, the twins and the dwarves. They shall be the first to sample my concoction.

"Then, once they are part of the fold, they shall go forth and bring Snow White to me, and she shall partake the potion," he looked at the vile boiling liquid in the cauldron, "my elixir of unlife." He then looked at the Jiang Shi, "go and lure the humans to me!"

"We obey, Master Wang," whispered all of the Jiang Shi.

"Don't call me Wang!" snapped Wan Chian-ti as the Jiang Shi hopped out of the area, "honestly, why did I give you peons brains if you cannot remember my name!"

He sighed with disgust, then returned to the potion, "it doesn't matter, so long as I complete my mission, so long as I obey the will of Mother Zerlina."

* * *

**…In a Dark Place…**

Deep inside a dark forest lay a rock outcropping. In that outcropping was a tunnel that lead to a cave, in which a stone sarcophagi lay, on which a raven sat on the edge of.

But then the lid of the sarcophagi opened, revealing a glowing green shape about the size of a marble.

"The time has come, my pet," said the disembodied voice of Maleficent that came from the green shape, a fragment of her orb that came from her shattered staff, "time to seek out a temporary body in which I shall use to create a new body."

With a bright flash, the orb fragment changed shape. It was now more round, more like a marble and had a small hoop ring in it. With another flash, a silver chain appeared and threaded through the hoop ring, becoming a necklace. The raven then hopped over and grabbed the necklace in his claws.

"Go forth and convey my soul to a worthy vessel, my pet," said Maleficent, "find a suitable body, a girl well versed in the mystic arts. She can be either light or dark, it matters not, for my will shall overwealm hers and her powers shall become mine. Go now, my pet, go now!"

With that the raven took flight and soared through the cave, out the tunnel and up above the tops of the trees. A Dark Corridor appeared and the raven flew into it.

**The end of chapter 5**

Next chapter finds our heroes trying to convince the Seven Dwarves to take shelter with Snow White, while also battling the insidious plot of Wan Chian-ti. Reviews will be rewarded with cake and pie. See you next time!


	6. Chapter 6: Last Cottage On The Left

Last time found our heroes and allies arriving on Dwarf Woodlands, home of Snow White, whom informed Sora and the others that the threat of The Wamphyri was already known there, but her friends, The Seven Dwarves, had refused to come to the castle for safety. Sora and the gang promised Snow White that they would convince Doc and the other Dwarves to stay with her until the crisis was resolved. As they trekked through the woods, they encountered the local Thralls, whom were in the form of Chinese Hopping Vampires, Jiang Shi.

Unknown to our heroes, the Wamphyri Lieutenant, Wan Chian-ti, was in the mist of preparing a vile concoction that would take the undead plague into deeper depths of darkness, while also planning how to lure Sora and the others to their doom.

Meanwhile, Ansem went inside Space Paranoids to confront a demon from his past, a mysterious madman that Ansem imprisoned deep inside The Grid decades ago. The lunatic was only trying to get Ansem's attention, yet the wise man had suspicions that there was something else at hand. 'Nuff said, on with the show!

**Chapter 6: Last Cottage On The Left**

"There's the cottage up there!" shouted Riku as our heroes raced through the mist-shrouded forest. They soon reached a clearing where a thatched cottage stood, one that seemed normal sized, but definitely big enough for seven small people.

"I can see why Snow White is so concerned for her friends," said Guy, "this place is hardly the best position to defend against vampires."

"Vampires aside," said Cassie, "we've got to warn them of the danger."

"I've got a feeling that they already know," said Reina.

They then saw that all the windows and the front door had iron bars and were boarded up, while crosses hung at random spots on the dwelling.

"I've got a feeling that we're not welcome here," said Sora.

"No, it's just vampires," said Tess. She then boldly walked up to the front door. But Riku stopped her by grabbing her arm, "what?" Tess asked.

"If you would just look down a bit," said Riku. He then pointed to the various bear traps lining the front yard leading up to the door.

"Oh, right," said Tess sheepishly, "I can't believe I nearly fell for that."

"We don't have time for this," said an slightly annoyed Rita. She then picked up a small rock and threw it at a bear trap. It set the trap off, causing it to jump onto another trap, setting it off, leading to a chain reaction that triggered all of the bear traps.

"That's that then," said Rita as she walked over to the front door, oblivious to the nearly invisible tripwire at the porch.

She stepped on the wire, causing a part of the roof to open up and dump a bucket of clear liquid on her. She yelped in shock and surprise.

"What the hell!" exclaimed Reina as she ran over to her soaked sister, "what is it? Acid? Poison?"

"No, just cold," said a shivering Rita.

"It's holy water," said Cassie as she and the others walked over.

"How do you know?" Kairi asked.

"Why else would you put a bucket of water in a trap in a world infested with vampires?" Cassie asked.

"This is seriously grinding my gears," said Rita as Reina used a fire spell to dry her out and warm her up.

"Let's just get this over with," said Reina after warming her sister back up. She then walked to the front door and was about to knock on it, when she spotted another tripwire. "Oh no," she said cautiously, "not me," she then stepped to the side and used a cutting spell to sever the wire.

A small hole opened in the door and a metal pipe shot out, and from that pipe came a large jet of burning oil that nearly cooked our heroes if they hadn't jumped out of the way.

"These guys are serious about vampire protection," said an impressed Guy.

"So are we," said Riku. He then cautiously walked over to the door and, after triple checking for any more traps, knocked on the door. "Hello? Is anyone there!"

"Go away!" said a gruff voice from the other side of the door, "we don't want you blood-sucking freaks around here!"

"This is our home!" said a much kinder, yet still determined voice, "we've done anything wrong! I mean, we've done nothing wrong, so just leave us alone!"

"And take your evil, shar…shar…Ah-choo! Your evil, sharp teeth with you," said a third voice.

"We're not vampires," said Kairi.

"That's what a vampire would say," said a fourth voice in a shy tone.

"No, we're human," said Sora, "and we're friends of Snow White."

"That's also what a vampire would say," said a fifth voice in a yawing tone.

"What can we do to prove that we're human?" Cassie asked, "one of our friends was just soaked in holy water," she walked up to the door and touched the cross on it, "and my hand isn't burning at all."

"Do you have any garlic?" Tess asked, "vampires hate garlic."

"I still have a few garlic grenades," said Guy, "but I don't want to waste them. But it's a good idea."

"So if you people don't mind garlic," said a sixth voice in a much more cheerful tone than the others, "then you must be human."

"It's a trick!" said the gruff voice, clearly Grumpy.

"How can we know anything if we can't hear them?" the strong yet kinder voice, Doc, "I mean, if we can't see them."

"Well, we can't stay here for…for…ah-choo!" exclaimed Sneezy, "we can't stay here forever."

"Why not?" yawned Sleepy, "we've got food and water."

"Only for another week or so," said Bashful.

"And who knows how long we can keep the bathroom working," said Happy.

"I ain't fixing the bathroom again!" said Grumpy, "I did it last time."

"You've only did it once," said Sneezy, "I've done…done…Achoo! I've done it twice."

"Oh for crying out loud," yawned Sleepy, "let's just give them the garlic already."

"Right," said Doc, "you outside! We'll toss in some garlic, I mean, we'll toss it out. I want to see all of you at least touch and sniff it."

"Whenever you're ready," said Sora.

The door unlocked and Doc appeared, flanked by Happy and Grump, all of them armed with pickaxes.

"Don't come any closer," said Doc as Dopey walked up to the door with a small bowl of garlic cloves. Doc picked up a handful and tossed them to Sora, "now scratch them! I mean sniff the glarlic"

Sora inhaled the pungent aroma of the garlic and winced from it. He then handed it to Kairi, whom sniffed it, then handed it to Riku. One by one our heroes and allies sniffed the garlic.

"They seem human to me," said Happy.

"I ain't convinced," said Grumpy as he stubbornly crossed his arms, "splash them with more holy water!"

"I got it!" said Sneezy as he walked up to the door. But then he sneezed and accidentally dumped it on Grumpy, further agitating his foul mood.

"You did that on purpose!" said an outraged Grumpy.

"I didn't!" said Sneezy.

"Look, there's an easy way to prove we're human," said Guy. He looked at the E-Branch members, "assuming that the device was fixed."

"What device?" Reina asked.

"It's a black light device," said Guy, "a ultraviolet ray emitter, one the size and shape of a normal flashlight, but very delicate, and prone to breakdowns."

"It was working fine when we left home," said Cassie, "but it glitched up when we arrived in the realms."

"What can an ultraviolet machine do to help us?" Sora asked.

"Just think, man," said Guy, "Wamphyri burn in sunlight."

"Our scientists haven't fully proven it yet," said Cassie, "but we're pretty sure that the reason why vampires burn in the sun is because their flesh combusts when exposed to UV radiation. It's only a theory right now, but it's better than nothing."

"Let me see the device," said Aiden, "the UV flashlight or whatever you call it."

One of the espers handed Aiden a blue flashlight-like device. He then looked at it from different angles, "are all the pieces with it?" he asked. The esper in question nodded in affirmation. Aiden then placed it on a flagstone leading up to the front door, took out a piece of chalk and drew a transmutation circle. He then touched the circle and activated it. There was a bright flash of alchemic energy.

"There," said Aiden as he picked up the flashlight, "good as new." He flicked the switch, the bulb inside the flashlight glowing indigo and shone it on his hand. In the dim light his bright clothing glowed slightly.

"It works," said Cassie as she took the flashlight from Aiden and shown it on her hand. One by one the flashlight was shone on our heroes. Aside from glowing clothing and slightly glowing skin, there was no reaction.

"We're not burned," said Guy as the flashlight was put away, "see? No burns."

"Unless you count sunburns," said Rita, "but I think we're alright."

"Are you satisfied that we're human?" Reina asked the dwarves.

"I'm convinced," said Doc, while one by one the other Dwarves nodded, except for Grumpy.

"Oh, alright," said Grumpy reluctantly as he still had his arms crossed, "but don't come complaining to me when they turn around and bite us."

"We'll keep it in blind," said Doc, "I mean, we'll keep it in mind." He then looked at our heroes, "come on in."

"There's too many of them to fid in the house," said Sneezy, "things were crowded enough when…when…achoo! When Snow White was here."

"We'll come out," said Happy. He then stepped outside and held out his hand, "nice to meet you all."

"Likewise," said Sora as he shook Happy's hand. Our heroes then shook hands with the Dwarves.

"Now that we're all friends and all," said Doc, "what brings you out here?"

"Your world is infested with freaking vampires!" said an irate Rita.

"Jiang Shi mostly," said Reina, "at least on this world."

"Any sign of where the Lieutenant is?" Cassie asked Danna.

"Somewhere deep in the forest," said Danna as she closed her eyes in concentration, "it's definitely strong, stronger than Anton was, but I can't tell anything more about it."

"Well, since this Lieutenant is using Chinese hopping vampires," said Kairi, "maybe this Wamphyri has a thing for Chinese culture."

"Maybe," said Reina, "maybe it likes Chinese magic."

"And martial arts," said Rita as she cracked her knuckles, "if that's the case, we'll be ready for it."

"Without a doubt," said Reina.

"In the meantime, there's the thing we have to take care of right here," said Kairi. She looked at Doc and the other Dwarves, "Snow White told us that you refused to go to the castle with her, that you refused to go where it's safer."

"Is any place safe around vampires?" Bashful asked, "really, truly safe?"

"Well, it's safer at a castle than just a cottage," said Riku, "I think it'll be for the best if you Dwarves just pack whatever you can and head for Snow White."

"We can't leave the cottage!" Sneezy said, "it's…it's…achoo! It's our home!"

"We built this place with our own hands," said yawned Sleepy, while Dopey nodded eagerly, "we can't abandon it."

"We ain't leavin'," said Grumpy, "not for vampires, not Heartless, not Unversed, not even if The Evil Queen were haunting it, well, not that, but we still won't leave."

"And what will convince you to leave?" Riku asked.

"Nothing!" said Grumpy, "this here's our home and we ain't leaving for hell or high water!"

* * *

"All is in readiness, Master Wang," said one of the Jiang Shi.

"It's Wan Chian-ti!" snapped the Wamphyri Lieutenant, "and proceed as planned."

* * *

"Uh, people!" said a now nervous Danna, "we've got trouble, of the hoppy, jumpy kind."

Sora and the others looked around and saw that the fog was getting thicker. They also heard the sounds of bouncing in the distance, rapidly approaching the cottage.

"How many?" Guy asked as our heroes and allies assumed fighting positions, while the Dwarves readied their pickaxes.

"At least fifty," said Danna, "now sixty, and more on the way!"

"That's more than the number of disappeared people that we were told about," said Riku.

"The Lieutenant must have brought more in from another world," said Rita, "Zerlina did that when we fought her, bring in more Thralls."

"But where did they come from?" Kairi asked.

"Hell if we know," said Rita as she cracked her knuckles, "we're just here to kick undead ass."

"Then let's get this party started right!" said an eager Reina as she launched a wave of flames into the fog. Two hopping shapes caught fire and soon were reduced to ashes.

Sora shot a Fireball from his Keyblade, while Roxas shot two from his, burning three more Jiang Shi.

Riku, Kairi and Tess threw their Keyblades as the hopping vampires, decapitating three of them, while Guy and the rest of the E-Branch group shot crossbow bolts, and Aiden transmutated his Keyblade into its crossbow form and shot a bolt charged with alchemic energy.

All the bolts hit their targets, striking the Jiang Shi in their undead hearts and dropping them like flies. But for every hopping vampire that fell, more and more bounced into the area.

"And I thought Tigger liked bouncing," said Sora.

Guy then threw a garlic-gas grenade at the Jiang Shi. The grenade exploding, releasing the pungent gas, but the Jiang Shi hopped high enough to keep out of the gas.

"Bouncing bastards!" snapped Guy as he prepared to throw another grenade.

"Save them!" said Cassie as she reloaded her crossbow, "you only brought a dozen and already used two!"

"Why didn't you bring more?" Riku asked.

"There were only a dozen in stock at E-Branch headquarters," said Guy, "and believe me, you don't want to know how much paperwork goes into requisitioning more weapons before the first of the month."

Just then six Jiang Shi attacked from the left, trying to get behind our heroes.

"Take 'em down!" shouted Grumpy, "this is our home! We'll fight to keep it safe!" he swung his pickaxe up and stabbed one of the Jiang Shi in the heart. Doc and the other Dwarves also attacked with their pickaxes and each destroyed a hopping vampire, while Dopey wound up overbalancing and tripping, falling on his face.

"These buggers are a real pain!" said Cassie as she loaded a bolt into her crossbow, aimed and fired at a Jiang Shi.

But then the hopping vampires suddenly all turned around and bounced away, taking the fog with it.

"What the hell was that all about?" Rita asked as she snapped the neck of a Jiang Shi that was a little slower than the others.

"Why did they run away?" Riku asked.

"Isn't it obvious?" Reina asked as she and the E-Branch guys with flame throwers began burning the bodies of the fallen but still intact vampires, "we're awesome."

"It's more than that," said Sora, "something's up, something bad."

"They didn't run away because we scared them," said Tess, "no, they're up to something."

"It's the Lieutenant," said Danna, "it's making the Jiang Shi hop away. He's…" she closed her eyes in concentration, "he's trying to lure us into a trap."

"What kind of trap?" Aiden asked.

"The kind that'll serve us tea and crumpets," said Danna in a sarcastic tone, "it's a trap, you dingbat! The kind that'll get us all killed!"

"Or turned into vampires," said Riku.

"Then what are we waiting for?" Reina asked, "let's go pay the big bad Wamphyri Lieutenant a visit."

"Carefully," said Rita, "He's probably expecting us to run all hot and bothered right into whatever trap he's got planned for us. But instead, we'll be expecting a trap."

"And we'll shut him down before he springs it on us," said Reina.

"There's still the other thing," said Sora. He looked at Doc, Sleepy, Sneezy, Happy, Bashfull, Dopey and Grumpy, "I know you guys care about your home, but it's just not safe here."

"Snow White has everything ready at the castle," said Kairi, "the whole place is a vampire-proof as can be."

"Where as here," said Tess as she indicated the cottage, "no offense, but if the Jiang Shi seriously attack, then you're pretty much screwed."

"You really think so?" Doc asked.

"Let's just say that you'll have a better chance with Snow White at the castle then out here," said Riku.

At that the Dwarves had a hushed, huddled conference, trying to decide what to do. Eventually they came to a decision.

"Alright," said Doc, "we'll go to the lasso, I mean, the castle, and stay with Snow White."

"But we don't have to like it!" said Grumpy in a stubborn tone.

"Okay, that's settled," said Sora.

A short time later the Dwarves had packed up what they needed and were ready to head to the castle.

"You sure you don't want some of us to go with you?" Kairi asked.

"We'll be fine," said Happy.

"We know these woods like the back of our…our…Achoo! Like the back of our hands," said Sneezy.

"Well, good luck," said Guy, "and be careful."

"These Jiang Shi are idiots," said Reina, "but the Lieutenant isn't. You give him the chance, he'll tear you apart and devour your souls."

"Not my soul," yawned Sleepy.

"We'll be fine," said Grumpy, "just take care of that monster so we can go home."

"Consider the bastard burned to a crisp," said Rita.

With that the Dwarves and our heroes said their goodbyes. The Dwarves then headed for the castle, while Sora and the others followed the trail of the Jiang Shi deeper into the forest.

* * *

"What!" exclaimed Wan Chian-ti, "the Dwarves are leaving the forest?"

"They are, master Wang," said one of the Jiang Shi.

"Stop calling me that!" snapped Wan Chian-ti, "and what of the others? The Keyblade Wielders and the fools from E-Branch?"

"They're following the trail to the nest," said another Jiang Shi, "but, they're taking their time."

"Didn't you agitate them enough?" Wan Chian-ti asked.

"Uh…apparently not," said another Jiang Shi, "sorry, master Wang."

"My name is Wan Chian-ti!" exclaimed the outraged Wamphyri Lieutenant. He then ripped the head of the offending Jiang Shi, then chanted a curse that caused every Jiang Shi on the planet to self destruct. They all crumbled into dust in an instant.

"Huh," said Wan Chian-ti in a slightly taken aback tone as he realized just what his fit of rage made him do, "well, that was embarrassing," he then grunted in annoyance, "well, I don't need those freaking idiots!"

He then looked at the potion, "one more ingredient," he then added the ingredient. The potion flashed dark purple, then turned black.

"Finished," said a wickedly grinning Wan Chian-ti, "with this, I shall turn all humans on the world, then the rest of the realms of light, into my undead slaves!" he then laughed manically.

* * *

"Wait, stop!" said Guy as our heroes followed the trail of the Jiang Shi. The fog had suddenly cleared, brightening the area significantly. As Sora and the others looked around, taking in the less gloomy atmosphere, they looked down and saw several piles of dust littering the ground.

"What's this?" Roxas asked.

"It's dust, obviously," said Rita.

"Yeah, but where did it come from?" Naminé asked.

"It's from the Jiang Shi," said Reina, "they…they all self destructed."

"All of them," said Danna, "the Lieutenant, he got mad and burned them all up."

"Why would he destroy his own minions?" Kairi.

"I just said he got pissed," said an annoyed Danna, "clearly the Lieutenant wasn't happy with his goon squad and got rid of them."

"This still seems like a trap," said Riku, "he's up to something, something bad."

"At least we don't have to fight any more cannon fodder," said Rita, "it's straight to the boss now."

"The trail is still strong," said Guy as he examined the ground.

"As if we need a trail," said Danna, "the Lieutenant is putting out some serious mojo, like he's a lighthouse, and evil, undead lighthouse."

"He's only making it easier for us to kill him," said Reina.

"It still feels like a trap," said Riku.

"I know," said Guy, "but remember, the first step in avoiding a trap is knowing of its existence."

"But we have no idea what kind of trap it is," said Tess.

"I can guess," said Cassie.

"It's the kind that we're going to get ourselves killed in!" said Dana, "why won't you people listen to me!"

"What would you have us do?" Cassie asked, "just turn around and run away? So that undead abomination can turn more innocent people into vampires?"

"I never said run away," said Danna in a slightly unsteady tone, as if she was feeling really nervous, "I'm saying that we need to think this clearly and not rush in halfcocked."

"Well, I never said we should rush in halfcocked," said Cassie, "I'm open to suggestions if you have a plan."

"As a matter of fact," said Danna, "I do have a plan, albeit not a very good one."

"Anything can help," said Sora, "you shouldn't doubt yourself in this."

"Well," said Danna hesitantly, "it involves us finding the Wamphyri nest, taking up strategic positions around the nest and attacking the Lieutenant in sequence, eventually overwhelming the undead monster and destroying it. I know, it's terrible, right?"

"No, it's actually pretty good," said Riku.

"It works for me," said Kairi, while Aiden, Tess and the others nodded in agreement.

"Oh, you guys," said a blushing Danna.

"It's settled then," said Guy, "we'll use Danna's plan."

Just then Wan Chian-ti appeared at the edge of the area, "or," said the Wamphyri Lieutenant, "I could use my own plan on you."

At that our heroes were startled, but then they all assumed defensive postures, "so, you've decided to face us," said Guy as he held his knife at the ready.

"You're much less a coward than Anton," said Cassie.

"I am on a whole other level than Anton," said the Wamphyri Lieutenant, "compared to me, my brother was a insignificant insect."

"He was a bug alright," said Aiden, "a bug that shoots spikes."

"So what's your power?" Tess asked, "what do you do?"

"You'll find out soon enough," said the Wamphyri Lieutenant, "and my name is Wan Chian-ti, remember it."

"Wan Chian-ti," said Kairi.

"Big deal," said Reina, "we'll still take you down!"

"And it'll be extra painful for ruining my plan!" said Danna as she hefted a crossbow.

"I beg to differ," said Wan Chian-ti as he summoned the caldron full of the black potion, "once you get a taste of this, you'll all be following my plans, forever."

"What is that horrible brew?" Cassie asked as she and the others cautiously and nervously eyed the black potion.

"I call it, the Elixir of Unlife," said Wan Chian-ti, "I used my own Wamphyri DNA to make it."

"But what does it do?" Sora asked.

"Isn't it obvious?" Riku asked, "he's gonna use that stuff to turn us into Thralls."

"Of course!" said Wan Chian-ti triumphantly, "just a few drops is enough to turn a human into my obedient, undead slave, no need for biting."

"I thought vampires liked to bite their victims," said Reina.

"Normally yes," said Wan Chian-ti, "yet I feel that a change was needed for Wamphyri. True, there are other methods to create new Wamphyri, other than biting, but this method is my own creation, one blessed by the mother."

"Zerlina," said an irate Rita.

"She allowed me the freedom to create a new method of expanding the family," said Wan Chian-ti, "once I've used it to turn the lot of you, I'll use it to turn the rest of this world, then the rest of the worlds in the realms. With this triumph, I shall receive far greater praise from Mother Zerlina. I shall be made her right hand in the conquest of all realms through time and space, and I shall be elevated to the status of Wamphyri Lord!"

"You'll have to use it on first!" said Sora as he hefted his Keyblade.

"And we're not swallowing any of that crap!" said Aiden, "so you can take your potion and shove it, Wang!"

At that the Wamphyri Lieutenant roared in outrage, "my name is Wan Chian-ti! Why can't anyone remember that! Why do they always make fun of me!"

"It's because you're so easy to make fun of," said Reina.

"Enough!" snapped Wan Chian-ti, "I'd like to see you make fun of me when you're all my undead slaves!" he then chanted a spell that caused several marble-sized globs of the potion to rise up out of the cauldron.

"One for each of you," said Wan Chian-ti, "now be good little humans and take your medicine!"

The black globs all shot towards our heroes at breakneck speed. Sora, Riku, Kairi, Aiden and Tess were able to deflect their globs with their Keyblade, while Roxas protected himself and Naminé with his two Keyblades.

Guy and Cassie rolled out of the way of their globs, while Reina chanted a spell that put a shield between herself, Rita and the other E-Branch operatives and the globs. The black doses of the potion splattered against the shield harmlessly.

"Is that the best you've got?" Rita taunted.

"Well, this is quite the quagmire," said Wan Chian-ti in a sarcastic manner, as if happy that things wasn't going to be as easy as he had hoped.

"Don't say that!" exclaimed Cassie. Sora and the others then saw that Danna had a sudden look of utter terror on her face as she dropped her crossbow. The OCD afflicted esper then started jumping up and down while holding her hands in an awkward position over her head and shouting something in a language Sora, Riku, Kairi, Aiden, Tess, Roxas and Naminé couldn't understand.

"That's her calming ritual?" a highly confused Sora asked.

"It seems to work for her," said Reina.

After about half a moment, Danna had calmed down from her irrational fear, only to have her anxiety replaced by rage. She glared at Wan Chian-ti, "you son of a bitch! Why did you have to do that!" she then grabbed a flamethrower unit from one of her teammates and aimed it at the Wamphyri Lieutenant, "burn, god damn you!"

She pulled the trigger and a jet of flames shot from the nozzle at Wan Chian-ti. The Wamphyri Lieutenant seemed to vanish as the flames were just about to reach him, only to appear to the left of the fire.

"Try aiming with your eyes, little girl," said Wan-Chian-ti in a taunting manner.

"Undead bastard!" spat Danna as she shot another jet of fire at the undead abomination, whom then dodged it in a blink of an eye.

Getting more and more enraged, Danna shot more and more gouts of flames at Wan Chian-ti, only to have each jet dodged. It wasn't long before the nozzle clicked and the tank on the flamethrower unit was empty.

"He's fast," said Rita, "really fast."

"Fast enough to break all your necks before you can stop me," said Wan Chian-ti, "but then I wouldn't be able to have you as my slaves, now would I?"

He then hovered more globs of the black potion, "it takes too long for me to brew this to waste too much of it, so quit resisting and accept the inevitable!" he then shot the globs at our heroes.

Again, Sora and the Keyblade Wielders blocked the globs, Cassie and Guy dodged theirs, while Reina's shield protected the others.

"You are becoming quite the irritating troublemakers," said Wan Chian-ti in an annoyed tone.

"We're only irritating?" Kairi asked, "I think we're losing our touch, guys."

"We'll just have to up our game then!" said Aiden, "that black stuff, that Elixir of Unlife, it's far too dangerous to allow to be."

"We've got to destroy it!" said Reina.

"You'll never get a change to!" said Wan Chian-ti.

"Oh yes we will!" said Roxas. He then ran headlong at the Wamphyri Lieutenant, whom had assumed a fighting stance to block the oncoming Keyblade Wielder.

But then Roxas threw his Keyblades at Wan Chian-ti at the last second, distracting the undead abomination just enough for Roxas to roll under the Wamphyri Lieutenant, shooting through Wan Chian-ti's legs, then jumping over the cauldron. Roxas landed on the other side, several yards from the cauldron, just in time to catch his Keyblades.

"Say goodbye to all your hard work!" said Roxas. He then sent a double Thunder spell at the cauldron and caused it to explode, destroying the potion. A few black drops hit landed on the ground with no ill effect, while a bit more landed and formed a small puddle, but the rest of it was gone for good.

"You human slime!" exclaimed Wan Chian-ti, "I'll rip out your hearts and devour your souls!"

"Come get us!" said Tess eagerly.

"You won't be so eager to fight when I'm done with you," said Wan Chian-ti as he assumed a more complex fighting stance.

"That's a Kung Fu stance," said Rita, "I…I remember seeing something like it, but…I can't remember where or what style it is."

"It's Wamphyri Style!" said Wan Chian-ti, "I created it, and I'll use it to destroy you all. If I can't have you as my slaves, then you cannot live at all!" He then roared in fury as a dark purple aura surrounded his body.

"What's happening to him?" Tess asked.

"He's channeling chi," said a shocked Reina, "he's increasing his power."

"Alright, you mortal maggots!" said Wan Chian-ti, "time to die!" his whole body then vibrated and he vanished, only to appear in front of guy and deliver a punch that knocked Guy ten feet into the air. He landed hard on his back and didn't get back up.

"Guy!" shouted Cassie.

"Get him!" shouted one of the espers as the rest of the E-Branch espers and special ops shot crossbow bolts and jets of fire at the Wamphyri Lieutenant. Wan Chian-ti vanished again, causing all the firepower coming at him to miss, only to appear in front of the other espers and special ops. The undead abomination then bit one of the espers, then one of the special ops, draining them of their life-giving blood faster than was physically possible.

Sora and the other Keyblade Wielders then activated their armor and ran at Wan Chian-ti, whom then delivered a fury of punches and kicks that knocked our heroes before they had a chance to attack. Their armor protected them from the worst of the vampire's blows, but they were still dazed.

Before Sora and the others could get up, Wan Chian-ti advanced on Kairi, intent on ripping her armor off and biting her. But then he dodged a spell from Reina, then dodged a psyblast from one of the espers.

"Insufferable insects!" snapped Wan Chian-ti as he backhanded Reina, slamming her to the ground, while grabbing the esper and ripping his head off.

By then Sora, Riku, Kairi, Aiden and Tess had recovered and tried to attack Wan Chian-ti again, only to have the vile immortal knock them down again, only much harder.

"This is getting out of hand," said Riku as our heroes struggled to get back up.

"I think it's been out of hand for a while now," said Aiden. They then saw Roxas trying to attack Wan Chain-ti, only to have the Wamphyri Lieutenant grab Roxas and throw him across the area, causing him to crash into Naminé, whom had been trying to draw the vampire's face in order to get him to forget. Both of them fell to the ground.

Wan Chian-ti then grabbed a third esper and bit her, draining her blood in seconds, then dodged another spell from Reina.

"You're really starting to piss me off, human," said Wan Chian-ti as he grabbed Reina by the neck and hoisted her up like a rag doll, "I think I'll make you my love-slave." He then bared his fangs and prepared to bite her neck.

But then a crossbow bolt hit Wan Chian-ti in the back, missing the heart by millimeters but managed to get his attention.

"Let go of my sister!" spat Rita as she loaded another crossbow bolt, "you ass-sucking son of a bitch!"

Wan Chian-ti then dropped Reina like a sack of potatoes, pulled the bolt out of his back and glared at Rita, "you talking to me?" He asked.

"Damn right I'm talking to you!" said Rita as she assumed a fighting stance, "but right now, I'm more interested in kicking your ass three ways to Sunday."

"Don't!" gasped Reina as she started to get back up, clutching at her bruised neck, "he's too strong!"

"We've got to fall back and think of something else!" said Guy as he and Cassie struggled to get back up.

"No! he's mine!" snapped Rita.

"No, you're mine!" said Wan Chian-ti. He then rushed at Rita and attacked. She was barely able to hold her own, just managing to block the vampire's strikes and avoid his gnashing fangs.

"Admit it, little girl!" said Wan Chian-ti, "you're completely outmatched!"

"I'm not finished yet!" said Rita. She then ducked and delivered a devastating punch to the vampire's manhood, causing the Wamphyri Lieutenant to grunt in agony and clutched at his assaulted privates.

"You bitch!" spat Wan Chian-ti, "you cheating bitch!"

"Sometimes you've got fight dirty!" said Rita. She then kicked the vampire in the head, forcing him back, then delivered another kick, followed by three punches and a kick, forcing the vampire back even further.

All the while Reina had recovered and powered up a spell that summoned a tornado full of razor-sharp bladed that surrounded the vampire and began slicing into the creature's flesh.

"Get ready for a savage burn!" shouted Reina as she and her twin prepared to unleash their fire on Wan Chian-ti, their hands engulfed in flames ready to destroy the vampire.

But then Wan Chian-ti unleashed a massive energy pulse that knocked our heroes all to the ground, while the Keyblade Wielders had their armor deactivated.

"No more dicking around," said Wan Chian-ti. He then walked towards the twins, fully intent on destroying them.

"At this rate," said Kairi as she and the others struggled to get up, "we're done for."

"We've got to find that thing's weakness!" said Tess.

"I don't think it has a weakness," said Riku, "it's too strong and fast."

"If only the sun was out," said Sora as he looked up, but the trees were too thick to allow anything more than only a hint of light through.

"Wait!" said Tess, "we have the next best thing!"

"The UV flashlight," said Aiden, "it could work!" he then felt his pockets, "wait, where is it?"

"I thought you had it," said Sora.

"I gave it to you guys after I fixed it," said Aiden, "who had it last?"

"I've got it!" said Danna as she pulled the special flashlight out of her pocket. She then stood up and got between Wan Chian-ti and the twins.

"Stand aside, little bitch," said Wan Chain-ti, "unless you wish to die first!"

"The only one dieing here is you, vampire!" spat Danna.

"Don't make this more difficult than it already is," said Wan Chian-ti. He then smiled wickedly, "quagmire."

At that Danna screamed in range and in fear as she held her hands above her head, jumped up and down and chanted in the strange language.

"Pathetic," said Wan Chain-ti as he stepped around Danna and headed towards the twins again.

But then Cassie aimed and fired her crossbow, hitting Wan Chian-ti in his right arm, while Guy threw his knife, slicing through the vampire's left arm.

"You're only making things worse for yourselves!" said the Wamphyri Lieutenant as he pulled out the crossbow bolt and regenerated his wounds. He then advanced towards the twins, now only a few paces away.

But then Danna recovered from her anxiety and got between Wan Chian-ti and the twins again, "no more tricks, you bloodsucking freak!" she aimed the UV flashlight at the vampire and flicked the switch, but nothing happened.

"It broke again," said Guy in a deflated tone.

"You've annoyed me enough," said Wan Chian-ti as he reached towards Danna.

"Jiggle it!" shouted Aiden.

Danna franticly jiggled the flashlight and flicked the switch again. The bulb glowed violet and shone on Wan Chian-ti's face, the vampire flesh illuminated suddenly started smoking.

Wan Chian-ti howled in agony as his skin burned. He held up his hands to shield his head, only to have his hands burned.

"How do you like it now, you fracking bastard!" shouted Danna as she shone the UV flashlight on the vampire's face again, now causing the flesh to blister. She focused the UV beam on the creature's eyes and they exploded into small gouts of fire, causing the undead abomination to fall to the ground, writhing in agony.

By then all of our heroes had gotten back up and had gathered around Wan Chian-ti, whom still had the UV light shone on him by Danna.

"It's not strong enough to completely set him on fire," said Danna, "and I'm not sure how much juice is in the battery."

"You've done magnificently," said Guy as he placed a comforting hand on Danna's shoulder.

"So, who gets to finish the bastard off?" Aiden asked as he transmuted his Keyblade into its crossbow form.

"We could always do Rock Paper Scissors," said Reina.

"I'll start off," said Cassie as she reloaded her crossbow, "this thing killed four of us today," she looked at the bodies of the fallen E-Branch agents, "I can hear them, their minds. Their bodies are dead but they'll reanimate as Thralls soon, and their minds are terrified at the prospect of becoming vampires," she glared at the smoldering Wan Chian-ti, "and it's all this thing's fault!"

"Then let's put them to rest," said one of the remaining special ops as he used a flamethrower to incinerate the bodies of his fallen comrades.

"They're relaxed now," said Cassie, "they're at peace," she then aimed her crossbow at Wan Chian-ti's heart, "which is the least I can say about this piece of crap!" she pulled the trigger and shot the bolt, piercing the undead heart of the monster.

Wan Chian-ti gave a strangled gurgle as the bolt sapped his remaining strength.

"There's The Stake," said Riku as he hefted his Keyblade, "now who gets to swing The Sword?"

"I'll do it," said Tess as she raised her Keyblade and brought it down, slicing off Wan Chain-ti's head, exposing the red, eyeless, snake-like leach that was the real vampire.

"And we'll do The Flame," said both Reina and Rita. They then unleashed their fire, consuming the undead parasite and the remains of the Wamphyri Lieutenant.

"Alright," said Aiden, "two Lieutenants down."

"One more to go," said Guy as he sheathed his knife, "and then Zerlina."

Sora then saw something on the ground, "look," he said as he pointed at the object on the ground, a small, fist-sized crystal ball.

"It must have fallen out of the bastard's pocket," said Cassie.

"What's a vampire doing with a crystal ball?" Aiden asked as he picked up the crystal ball.

Just then the crystal ball glowed darkly and a pair of red eyes appeared in it, red eyes that glared at Aiden, as if boring into his soul. Aiden froze up for a few seconds, unable to take his eyes off of the red eyes in the crystal ball. He then cried out in pain and fell to the ground, while the crystal ball hovered in midair.

"Foolish mortals!" said a female voice from the crystal ball, a voice that was full of pure evil, "you shall suffer dearly for the death of my child!"

"Who…what are you?" Sora asked as Riku, Kairi and Tess helped Aiden sit up, a dazed look on the young alchemists' face.

"Isn't it obvious?" Cassie asked in a fearful yet hateful tone, "she's the undead bitch who's responsible for all of this."

"Hello, Zerlina," said Rita in a calm yet cold tone.

"Hello, Rita," said the voice of Zerlina in a tone that dripped with false cheer, the eyes in the crystal shifting to Rita, then to Reina, "and your dear sister. How have the two of you been?"

"We're alright," said Reina, "you?"

"Well," said Zerlina, "aside from being chased from my world and having my children repeatedly murdered by you twin carpet lickers and your miserable mortal mates, I'm doing pretty well, thank you."

"Cut the crap, Zerlina!" said Rita, "where are you?"

"In the last place where you'll find me," said Zerlina, "by the time you figure out where my nest is, it'll be too late. I will have chosen my heir and pass on my egg. A new Frenzcy will be born, and The Realms of Light shall fall into eternal darkness."

"Not if we get to you first!" said Aiden as he pulled himself together, "you tried to get inside my head just now. She tried to get all the alchemy stuff in my mind," he then gave the red eyes in the crystal ball the finger, "you didn't! Whatever powers that be that gave me the knowledge, they protected it," he then paused in thought, "a lot better than the information on the new princesses of heart. Then again, Gideon used a demon psychic on me, so…"

"So I'm not as powerful a mind trawler as a demon," said Zerlina, "not while you're still alive, Keyblade Alchemist. Once you're dead, your secrets will be mine, all of them."

"You're also a Necromancer?" Kairi asked.

"Among many things," said Zerlina, "but I am first and foremost, a mother, and you've been murdering my children!"

"Whom have been murdering innocent people!" said Riku.

"Hah! Humans!" spat Zerlina, "you're nothing more than livestock for us to slaughter."

"I can hardly wait to prove you wrong," said Reina, while Rita cracked her knuckles.

"There's still my third child," said Zerlina, "my daughter, and she will devour your souls and make you her immortal playthings."

"We'll destroy her, then we'll destroy you," said Roxas.

"Perhaps," said Zerlina, "we shall see. But first, I'd like to leave you with a little parting gift, a token of my appreciation."

Just then the crystal ball began glowing brighter, while Zerlina began laughing manically.

"It's a bomb!" shouted the special ops guy with the flamethrower. He grabbed it and threw it away. It exploded with enough force to knock our heroes down. But no one was hurt and they all were soon back on their feet.

"That was way too close," said Riku. He looked at the special ops guy, "thanks, man."

"Any time," said the special ops. He was tall with short black hair, brown eyes and a small scar below his right eye, "and the name is Ben Northrup. formerly of Her Majesty's Special Forces."

"Nice to meet you," said Sora.

"Yes, intros around," said Danna as she closed her eyes in concentration, "if anyone's interested, the world is free of Wamphyri."

"Then there's one world left to clear," said Kairi, "The Enchanted Dominion, home of Aurora."

"Let's head back to the castle so we can say goodbye to Snow White and the Dwarves," said Sora, "then it's on to the last world."

"And I can finally get to work on the Wamphyri cure," said Aiden.

"Good luck with that," said Rita as our heroes headed back to the castle. Out of the corner of Sora's eye, he noticed that one of the E-branch operatives was scratching the back of his had, then relaxed. But Sora had other things to worry about, like what kind of undead abomination will he and his friends and allies will face next.

* * *

**…Underground…The Enchanted Dominion…**

Far beneath the surface, far below the walks of man, woman and children, there lay a room that was a mixture of innocence and evil, a room where a child would find both joyful and terrifying.

The room was brightly lit but had more than a few shadows. It was full of hand-crafted toys, some made of wood such as building blocks, train sets and cars, as well as tin soldiers, stuffed animals and dolls in every shape and style.

Yet these toys were twisted in a nightmarish manner, such as the stuff animals having monstrous features such as claws and teeth, and they had demonic expressions, while the dolls looked all too human, all of them having expressions of fear and sorrow.

Right in the middle of this nightmare of a playroom was a girl whom looked to be about 9 years old. She had shoulder-length, curly auburn hair, pale skin, while wearing a blue and white frilly dress, and most striking of all, her blood red eyes. The girl was sitting on a large, overstuffed chair, holding one of the all to realistic dolls in her lap, using a pink hairbrush on the doll's long blond hair, which was wearing a blue dress.

A yard from the chair was a crystal ball on a stand. The ball flashed and Zerlina's evil eyes appeared in it, "Leandra," said the disembodied voice of the Wamphyri Lady.

The vampire girl looked at the crystal ball and smiled, revealing a set of all too white fangs, "mama Zerlina," said the vampire girl, Leandra, "how are you?"

"I'm fine, my darling," said Zerlina in a warm, kind yet disturbing tone, "and at the same time, I'm pretty upset."

"What's wrong, mama Zerlina?" Leandra asked.

"I'm afraid I have bad news, my dearest," said Zerlina, "your brothers, Anton and Wan Chian-ti, have been destroyed."

At that Leandra gasped in shock and dropped her doll onto the floor, "oh no! Not my brothers!"

"I'm afraid so," said Zerlina in a regretful tone, "them and so many of your lesser brothers and sisters. They all have been destroyed."

Leandra's expression then changed to pure malice, "was it those horrible twins you told me about? The ones who burned so many of my old brothers and sisters? Before you remade me."

"It was them alright," said Zerlina, "them and so many more, and they're on their way to you. I want you to know that if you need anything, any help at all, just let me know and I'll be right over to…"

"I'll be fine, Mama Zerlina," said Leandra as she smiled eagerly, "I'm a big girl, I can take care of myself. These big, bad people coming, they've got no idea what they're in for."

"I know how capable you are, my darling," said Zerlina, "but these so called heroes are not to be trifled with. Some of them have Keyblades."

"So?" Leandra asked, "they're still no match for me." She then giggled happily, "this is going to be fun."

"I still want you to be careful," said Zerlina, "your idea of fun can sometimes get out of hand."

"Oh, all right," pouted Leandra, "I'll be careful, but I'm still going to have fun with my new friends when they get here."

"Just don't let them get the best of you," said Zerlina, "they're dangerous. If you give them the chance, they'll destroy you, just like they destroyed your brothers."

"They'll never get the chance," said Leandra, "I'll be careful, mama Zerlina."

"That's my girl," said Zerlina in a loving, motherly tone, "my beautiful, perfect, little girl." With that Zerlina's eyes vanished from the crystal ball.

"Yes, this will be fun," said Leandra as she picked up the doll and began brushing its hair again, "won't it, my dear little friend?" she said to the doll, "we're going to have so much fun with our new playmates. We'll play so many games, and the best part, when I win, I get to play with the losers, forever, just like you. You're going to have a lot of new friends soon, and we'll all play forever."

Leandra giggled in a manner that was both happy and evil as she brushed her doll's hair, while a single teardrop fell from the doll's eyes.

**The end of chapter 6.**

Next chapter brings our heroes to The Enchanted Dominion, where they find themselves in a much deeper mystery than before, then arrive in the nightmare playroom of the insidious Leandra. Reviews will be rewarded with cake and pie. See you next time!


	7. Chapter 7: To Play A Game

Last time found Sora and the gang hurrying through the woods, reaching the home of the Seven Dwarves. After a brief battle with some Jiang Shi, our heroes convinced the Dwarves to take shelter at Snow White's castle.

It was soon revealed that the battle was a lure to draw our heroes to Wan Chain-ti, whom sought to test his Elixir of Unlife on Sora and the others, a plan that was soon foiled by our heroes, whom then fought and destroyed the Wamphyri Lieutenant. With two Lieutenants finished, Sora and the others were ready to go to the next world, where the third Lieutenant, a child-like vampire, eagerly waited for our heroes to play with her. 'Nuff said, on with the show!

_(note; this chapter was inspired by the Doctor Who serial: The Celestial Toymaker, which I'm using without permission, so please don't sue me.)_

**Chapter 7: To Play A Game**

After saying goodbye to Snow White and the Dwarves, our heroes and allies returned to The Star Child, achieved orbit, set course for The Enchanted Dominion and entered hyperspace. Now that they were on their way to the third and final Wamphyri Lieutenant, Sora and the others had been getting ready for the upcoming battle as best they could.

Guy was sharpening his knife, Cassie was cleaning her crossbow, while Danna, Ben Northrup and the rest of the E-Branch team was checking their weapons. Rita was practicing a kata sequence and Reina was meditating.

Sora and Riku were sparing, as was Kairi and Tess, while Roxas practiced by himself and Naminé drew some practice sketches.

Aiden, meanwhile, was busy writing down what he told the others was what he would need to do to make the antidote to the Wamphyri pathogen.

"Aside from drawing the most complex transmutation circle in the history of alchemy," said Aiden, "I'll need several reagents. Equivalent exchange after all. To make the cure/vaccine, I'll need an equal amount of mass to make it, but not just any old matter. I've got to have specific items in order to make the antidote, mostly a lot of silver and garlic, and other stuff. We've got a lot of what I need here on the ship, the rest I can buy from the next Moogle we come across."

"What's a Moogle?" Rita asked as she practiced the Crane Kick stance.

"You'll find out soon enough," said Aiden as he pulled out his Munny pouch and started counting, "I just hope I've got enough. Some of the stuff I need is pretty rare…hmm…I also need to stock up on chalk."

"How long will it take to make the antidote?" Guy asked.

"As long as it takes me to get the reagents together and draw the circle," said Aiden, "after that it's a simple matter of activating the circle, but then comes the really hard part; finding the guinea pig to test the antidote."

At that our heroes and allies all looked at each other cautiously, as if wondering just whom would be the first to take the cure/vaccine.

"Oh, don't be such paranoid wimps," said Aiden, "I'll take the first dose."

"You'll do it?" Cassie asked.

"Of course," said Aiden, "I'm not the kind of jerk who would force someone else to take the antidote unless I've taken it first."

"Wow, that's really decent of you," said Rita in an impressed tone.

"It's what any true alchemist worth his salt would do," said Aiden. He then looked at his notes, "assuming I can get what I need from the Moogles."

"Are the Moogles really that great?" Rita asked.

"They've helped us out a lot," said Sora, "I probably wouldn't have gotten half as far as I did against Xehanort's Heartless if the Moogles weren't there."

"Not only are they sellers of the items that we need to keep fighting," said Kairi, "they also Synthesize rare and more powerful items that also help us fight."

"Status boosting items," said Riku.

"Are they fashionable items?" Reina asked.

"Depends on your taste in fashion," said Tess.

"We'll see what they've got and what they can make when we see them," said Aiden.

"It shouldn't be that much longer," said Riku as he looked at a status screen, "about another hour or so."

Just then Sora stood up, "I just realized, we haven't told The King what's been happening."

"You're right," said Kairi, "he's still out looking for Castle Oblivion. We've got to let him know about The Wamphyri."

"This King of yours," said Reina as Riku and Kairi went to the bridge, "he's a mouse?"

"Not just any mouse," said Sora as he also got up. He went to the bridge, where Kairi was trying to open a communication link with King Mickey's gummy ship.

"This is _The Star Child_," said Kairi, "calling _Reliant Blade_, come in, _Reliant Blade_…King Mickey…this is Kairi and the others…do you read…over…"

After a few seconds of silence, there was a burst of static from the communication system, followed by the voice of The King, "I read you, Kairi…how's it going…over."

"We're in the middle of really bad crisis, your majesty," said Sora.

"How bad?" the King asked.

"Really bad," said Riku.

* * *

_…the far side of The Realms of Light…_

After listening to Sora, Riku, Kairi, then Aiden and Tess, summarizing everything that's been happening with The Wamphyri so far, The King, as well as Donald, Goofy and Aqua, sat on the bridge of _The Reliant Blade _in stunned silence.

"Are you sure that these things you've been fighting are vampires?" King Mickey asked.

"Dead serious, your majesty," said Sora.

"Master Eraqus told us about The Wamphyri," said Aqua, "that they're an even greater threat to human life than The Heartless."

"He wasn't kidding," said Aiden.

"We've destroyed two Wamphyri Lieutenants and dozens of Thralls," said Riku, "but there's still one more Lieutenant, and then the head vampire."

"Our friends from E-Branch told us that Zerlina's the most powerful of them all," said Kairi, "that she's a vicious, merciless killer that will either kill or turn every human into a vampire."

"Not if we've got anything to say about it!" said an outraged Donald.

"We already smashed one of them Wamper Lords," said Goofy, "and we'll smash this one too!"

"There's one little problem," said Kairi, "you're on the other side of the realms."

"How's your search going?" Sora asked, "any sign of Castle Oblivion?"

"Not even a glimpse," said The King, "Xehanort really did a number on us when he vanished the place. Wherever he took Castle Oblivion, it's not here in the realms of light any more."

"Then where can he have taken the castle?" Roxas asked, "Ven's body is still there. For all we know, he's in Xehanort's sick clutches by now."

"No," said Aqua, "I would know if Xehanort's got Ven. I may not know where the castle is, but I would know if anything happened to Ven. He's safe, for now."

"In the meantime," said King Mickey, "I think it would be a good idea of we all got together so we can fight the Wamphyri."

* * *

_…aboard **The Star Child**…_

"We're about an hour from The Enchanted Dominion," said Riku.

"We're at least a day and a half from you," said Aqua.

"By the time we catch up," said Goofy, "you'll have dealt with that boss vampire."

"Then we'll team up to destroy Zerlina," said Sora.

"We'll figure out a rendezvous location," said King Mickey, "and Sora, about those twins, the ones with amnesia, are you sure that…can be…without…"

"Your Majesty?" Sora asked, "say that again. I didn't catch it."

The King repeated the message but his voice was severely garbled by static.

"Your Majesty?" Kairi asked, "you're breaking up! Try boosting your signal. Come back, _Reliant Blade!_"

But all that was heard over the communication channel was static.

"We've lost the signal," said Kairi.

"Try getting them back," said Riku.

"I am trying," said Kairi, "but we've completely lost their signal."

"There's no helping it, then," said Sora, "we'll meet up with them later."

"But for now we'll focus on taking down this last Lieutenant," said Tess.

"And focusing on the antidote," said Aiden.

"Are you really going to try it out on yourself first?" Tess asked.

"You want to be the guinea pig?" Aiden asked, "I'd rather do it myself, but if you insist on taking the first dose…"

"Not on your life," said Tess as she stubbornly crossed her arms, "and why are you so eager to do this?"

"I honestly don't know," said Aiden as he walked off the bridge and back to the recreation area.

* * *

_…aboard **The Reliant Blade**…_

"Dog gone subspace interference!" said an irate Donald as he tried to contact The Star Child again, "I'll interfere you!" frustrated, he kicked the computer, only to hurt his foot. He hopped around in pain and rage.

"Take it easy, pal," said Goofy, "you're gonna seriously break something'"

"I'll break this lousy machine!" said Donald.

"You break it, you fix it," said King Mickey, "right now we've got to met up with Sora and the others. If Zerlina is as powerful and as evil as I think, then we're all in a lot of trouble."

"Sorry, Ven," said Aqua as the ship changed course to rendezvous with _The Star Child_, "but if you were in my place, you'd go fight the Wampyri too, and so would Terra."

* * *

A short time later _The Star Child _exited hyperspace around a world with a large white and blue castle on top, surrounded by trees and greenery, while on the bottom was a black castle surrounded by a vast swatch of oversized thorny vines.

"So, this is where Maleficent use to live," said Aiden as he and the others observed the world on the view screen.

"One world was never enough for her," said Riku, "a sorceress of her caliber could never be satisfied with just one world."

"You sound like you know this Maleficent intimately," said Reina.

"I wish I never even heard of that horrible woman," said Riku.

"She's gone now," said Sora, "she can't hurt anyone ever again."

"Until she comes into her next life," said Tess, "then we get to start all over again."

"She's only got three or so lives left," said Kairi, "assuming she even survived getting stabbed by The Sword of Godric Gryffindor."

"We'll cross that bridge when we cross it," said Roxas.

"One more Wamphyri Lieutenant to go," said Rita, "then the big bitch herself, Zerlina."

"Almost over," said Reina, "almost finished."

* * *

…_The Enchanted Dominion…_

The ship landed at a spaceport on the edge of a town. Our heroes exited the port and joined a throng of people outside. The men, women and children of the world were clearly afraid of the current crisis, but still had courage in their hearts.

"Something's keeping their spirits up," said Riku.

"I think I know what that something is," said Kairi. Approaching from down the street was an ornately gilded carriage drawn by four white horses, and sitting in that carriage, waving to an happily cheering crowd, were two very familiar faces.

"Aurora and Phillip!" said Kairi, "it's them!"

"Aurora!" shouted Sora as the carriage drove past, "it's us! Aurora!" but his voice was drowned out by the thunderous cheers of the people. The carriage drove past without Aurora even glimpsing Sora and the others.

"She didn't even look at me," said Sora, "and I helped save her life."

"What was that all about?" Riku asked.

"Something's not right here," said Cassie, "the dead, they…well, that's definitely not right."

"What's not right?" Namine asked.

"The dead would normally know if there's Wamphyri activity," said Cassie, "especially if their bodies have been turned into Thralls. But there's only a handful of Thralls on this world, no more than a dozen or so."

"She's right," said Danna, "I'm sensing the least amount of Thralls we've encountered yet."

"But there were reports a lot more missing persons," said Riku, "how can there only be a dozen Thralls here?"

"Maybe the Lieutenant left the world and took the Thralls with it," said Reina.

"No," said Danna, "there's a Lieutenant on this world, a really strong one. But it is strange that she would only have a handful of Thralls here."

"She?" Aiden asked.

"Yes," said Danna, "this time around, we're up against a girl vampire, one with a really strange power that I just can't seem to figure out."

"How strange are we talking about?" Guy asked.

"Anton could change his body into a living weapon," said Cassie, "and Wan Chaian-ti used chi techniques. But what can this Lieutenant do?"

"We won't know until we find her," said Danna as she closed her eyes in concentration, "she…she's…different, unlike anything we've seen so far."

"And there's something else," said Cassie as she listened to The Great Majority, "those who were killed outright for blood, they…they were all parents, and their children…the children are…missing. Nearly all those taken by the vampires are…children."

"A Wamphyri Lieutenant who has a thing for children," said Guy said a highly offended tone, "this is just sick, absolutely sick."

"This is definitely turning out to be a mystery," said Kairi, "and a sick mystery at that."

"We won't get any answers by just standing around," said Aiden.

"Where do we start?" Tess asked.

Just then appeared the three good fairies; Flora, wearing pink, Fauna, wearing green, and Merryweather, wearing blue.

"Well isn't this a sigh of good fortune," said a smiling Flora, "it's our dear friend, Sora."

"And he brought friends," said Fauna, "and a lot of them."

"Never mind that," said Merryweather, "we've got a lot to talk about. Sora, you and your friends need to come with us at once."

"But we just got here," said Sora, "we were about to start our investigation."

"It has to deal with the crisis," said Flora, "but there are things you need to know."

"But not in public," said Fauna, "not here, not now."

The three fairies pulled out their wands and with a flash, our heroes and allies were in a private conference room in the castle.

"I hate it when we get zapped with magic without warning," said Aiden.

"Who does?" Reina asked.

"Now, if you will all be so kind as to get comfortable," said Flora as she used her wand to summon several reclining chairs and sofas, as well as a table with a large tea service, "we can discuss what needs to be discussed."

"You are probably already aware that the world has a bit of a vampire problem," said Fauna, "and that many more people have been abducted than killed."

"We've figured that part out already," said Rita.

"We also know that there's only a handful of Wamphyri Thralls along with the Lieutenant," said Reina, "and that the Lieutenant is a girl with a strange power."

"Which I still can't get a fix on," said Danna.

"And that most of those taken by the Wamphyri are children," said Kairi.

"Either way," said Ben Northrup, "we've got an edge on the Wamphyri now."

"It's not an edge yet," said Aiden, "not until I've got all the reagents. Until I can get everything I need, my antidote to the Wamphyri plague is just a pipedream."

"You can cure vampires?" Merryweather asked.

"Possibly," said Aiden, "but I've got to go shopping first."

"You're in luck," said Flora, "there's a Moogle just outside. We'll go see him once we've finished talking."

"But there's still things you need to know," said Fauna.

"Such as what?" Sora asked, "what's wrong with this world?"

At that the three fairies looked at each other, as if reluctant to talk about what they wanted to talk about. Finally, Merryweather spoke, "among those taken, aside from all those children, were Aurora and Phillip."

"No way!" exclaimed Aiden, "no freaking way!"

"We just saw Aurora and Phillip," said Kairi, "they were outside just now."

"Everyone on the streets saw them," said Sora.

"What you and the people saw was merely an illusion created by magic," said Flora.

"One of our more complex spells," said Fauna, "one we have to keep replenishing at least once a day, depending on what the doubles have to do for that day."

"Aurora and Phillip were among the first to disappear," said Merryweather, "they just vanished in the middle of the night."

"Already the people were starting to panic over the deaths and abductions," said Fauna, "if everyone knew that their prince and princess were missing, things would only get worse."

"Fear and despair would take over the hearts of the people," said Flora, "our world would descend into chaos and ultimately darkness."

"So now you know why we did what we did," said Merryweather, "we had to create magical doubles of Aurora and Phillip, if only to keep everyone's spirits up."

"And we would appreciate your discloser on this, Sora," said Flora, "you and your friends. No one must know that Aurora and Phillip are missing."

"We understand," said Sora, "we'll keep things quiet."

"And we'll find the real Aurora and Phillip," said Kairi, "as well as all those missing children." At that Riku, Aiden, Tess, the twins and the others nodded in agreement.

"We couldn't have asked for more," said Flora, while the other fairies nodded in agreement.

* * *

…_Underground…_

"So, they think they can come in and play on their terms," said Leandra as she watched our heroes meet with the three fairies though her crystal ball, "I can hardly wait to show then how I play on this world."

She then made the crystal ball focus on our heroes one by one, starting with Sora, "cute, but ordinary," the image focused on Kairi, "pretty, but also ordinary," the image focused on Riku and Tess, "a bit less ordinary, but not as cute," the image focused on Aiden, "he's an interesting one, I think I'll keep him alive a bit longer," the image focused on Roxas and Naminé, "now there's a cute couple, and interesting."

The image then focused on Cassie and Guy, "a little old for my taste, but still cute," the image then focused on Danna and Ben, "boring," then on the other E-Branch espers and special ops, "boring, boring, boring."

But when the crystal ball focused on Reina and Rita, Leandra's expression lit up with delight, "wow, they're beautiful! They'll make perfect additions to my collection!" she then held up her doll, "won't they, my dear little friend?"

Again, a single teardrop fell from the doll's eyes.

"Oh, don't be that way," said Leandra, "you're going to have so many new friends, as will I."

But then the image of Reina showed her looking concerned. She then chanted a spell and the image in the crystal ball went dark.

"What?" Leandra asked as she dropped her doll on the floor and walked up to the crystal ball, "what's going on?" she picked up the crystal ball and shook it, but it remained dark.

"Darn thing's broken!" said Leandra as she tossed the crystal ball to the other side of the room. It landed on the floor without breaking. Leandra then walked back to her chair and picked up her doll, "now I've got to do things the hard way." She then picked up a small bell from her chair and rang it.

Just then a Thrall wearing a butler's outfit appeared, "you rang, Ms. Leandra?" the Thrall asked.

"Yes," said Leandra, "go send some of the thugs to lure the would-be heroes down here. Don't actually fight them, just leave them a trail of bread crumbs to follow. I want my new friends and toys to be intact when they get here."

"It shall be as you wish, Ms. Leandra," said the butler Thrall. He bowed and exited the room.

"It won't be long now, my dear little friend," said Leandra as she started brushing her doll's hair, "the real fun is about to begin."

* * *

…_Aboveground…_

"What did you do?" Sora asked Reina.

"Ever had the feeling that you were being watched?" Reina asked, "I've been getting hints of it for a while now; on The Castle of Dreams, on Dwarf Woodlands and right here. The enemy's been watching us.

"But not any more. I cast an anti-spying spell. They won't be discovering our secrets any more."

"But if they've been watching us since we got here," said Riku, "then the Lieutenant knows that we've got a cure/vaccine planned."

"It's a chance we'll have to take," said Aiden.

"Then there's not a moment to waste," said Flora, "the Moogle should still be outside." With that our heroes followed the three fairies outside the castle, where there was no sign of the Moogle.

"Looks like we're going to have to wait," said Kairi.

"I hate waiting when it's not necessary," said Tess.

"It'll be worth the wait," said Aiden, "assuming the Moogle has what I need to finish the cure/vaccine."

"But what is a Moogle?" Rita asked.

Just then a small creature with a big nose and a large red ball on top of his head walked up to our heroes.

"That is a Moogle," said Aiden to Rita.

"Greetings travelers, kupo!" said the Moogle, "what can I do for you?"

Aiden then pulled out the list of items from his pocket, "do you have any of these available?" he asked as he handed the list to the Moogle.

The small merchant looked at the list, "yeah, I've got what you need."

"All of it?" an astonished Aiden asked.

"All of it, kupo!" said the Moogle, "but I'll warn you, friend, it won't be cheep."

"How much?" Aiden asked as he pulled out his Munny pouch.

"For you, I'll work a discount," said the Moogle, "everything on the list for 10,000 Munny."

"What kind of deal is that?" Tess asked.

"A deal worth making," said Aiden as he began counting out the required cash.

"No, you shouldn't have to pay such a high price," said Tess, "not for something this important."

"But…" said Aiden.

"No buts," said Tess, "you really need to learn the fine art of haggling."

"And you know that?" Aiden asked.

"I didn't spend all those years in Meridian killing Phobos' thugs," said Tess, "I had to argue in order to get what I needed to survive. Trust me, I know what I'm doing," she then walked over to the Moogle, "10,000 for everything on the list? Please, I can find the same stuff on another place at only half the cost?"

"Just which place is that, kupo?" the Moogle asked.

"It doesn't matter," said Tess, "what I'm getting at is that you're charging way too much."

"No I'm not!" said the Moogle, "not me. Some of my brothers are notorious price gougers, but not me, kupo!"

"Prove it," said Tess, "everything Aiden needs, for 2,500."

"Uh…no," said the Moogle, "I'm not like my brothers, but I still need to make a profit. I'll sell the whole thing for 8,850."

"You're crazy to think we'll pay that much," said Tess, "when we can get it on Metamore for much less. The whole thing for 3,250."

"Metamore is still messed up from what Phobos did," said the Moogle, "and what with all the trouble caused by Nerissa and The Knights of Vengeance, it's neither a buyers or sellers market there. I can go as low as 7,300."

"Who's Nerissa?" Kairi asked.

"And who are The Knights of Vengeance?" Sora asked.

"Long story, kupo," said the Moogle.

"Never mind that," said Tess, "you're still asking too much. 4,000 even."

"I've got bills to pay and mouths to feed at home," said the Moogle, "6,000."

"There'll always be another sale," said Tess, "4,250."

"My wife will break my head open if I tell her I let a sale go for so little," said the Moogle, "look, 5,750 is the best I can do."

"5,725," said Tess, "take it or leave it."

"I'll pay 5,750," said Aiden.

"Deal," said the Moogle as he summoned the items on the list, while Aiden got his cash out.

"What? No!" said Tess. She glared at Aiden, "I could have gotten the price lower."

"I know you would have tried," said Aiden, "but you could have also frustrated our merchant friend here," he handed the Munny to the Moogle, then collected the items, "besides, the sooner I make the antidote, the better for everyone."

"Pleasure doing business with you," said the Moogle as he pocketed the Munny, "see you around, kupo!" With that he walked away.

"So, you've got everything you need to make the vaccine/cure," said Riku.

"Are you sure it's everything?" Sora asked.

"Positive," said Aiden as he placed all the reagents for the cure on the ground and reached for a piece of chalk, "wait, damn! I forgot!"

"What did you forget?" Kairi asked.

"New chalk," said Aiden as he pulled out a small piece of chalk less than an inch long, "I don't know if I've got enough to do draw the circle. I suppose I could use blood, my own blood would work best, but still…"

"Can't you just use ink?" Rita asked.

"Ink?" Aiden asked.

"You know, ink," said Rita, "from a pen, you know, the kind of thing you write stuff down with."

At that Aiden smacked his forehead, "of course! Ink! Why didn't I think of it before? I need pens and ink! Lots of them!"

"Or," said Merryweather as she pulled out her wand, "you could just ask us for chalk," she waved her wand an a large box of white chalk sticks appeared in Aiden's hands.

"Oh, that also works," said Aiden in a deflated tone.

"I liked my idea better," said Rita as she stubbornly crossed her arms.

"Everyone stand back," said Aiden, "I need at least 50 feet of clear space to work in."

"You sure you know what you're doing?" Reina asked as she and the others backed away from Aiden, giving him the space to work.

"Roughly…98% sure," said Aiden. He then pressed his wrists, "alright, let's do this!" he then took a piece of chalk and began drawing what would be the most complex alchemic symbol Sora and the others had ever seen Aiden make.

After nearly an hour of drawing and using up three and a half chalk sticks, Aiden was finished with the circle, which had the reagents in the center.

"Okay," said Aiden as he stood back and looked at his work, "my hands are seriously cramping now, but it's worth it."

"You sure you're alright?" Riku asked.

"I'll feel better once the antidote is ready," said Aiden. He then bent down, "here goes everything," he touched the circle and activated it. The circle glowed with alchemic energy and with a flash, transformed the reagents into a small glass bottle of bluish green potion.

"That's the antidote to the Wamphyri plague?" Sora asked.

"If it isn't," said Aiden as he walked up to the potion, "I'll eat my hat, and I don't even have a hat. Now, to use it I have to put a drop of it directly into my eye."

He then pulled out an eye drop bottle and screwed the top of it onto the bottle of the potion.

"Where did you get the eye drop stuff?" Cassie asked.

"I borrowed it from the ship's sick bay," said Aiden as squeezed some of the potion into the eye drop tube, "now, guys, there's still a chance this won't work. At best, nothing will happen."

"And the worse?" Rita asked cautiously.

"I could mutate into a inhuman abomination," said Aiden, "probably with three heads and no eyes." Without any further hesitation, he brought the tube over his left eye, held it open and squeezed a drop into it. He blinked a few times as the potion was absorbed into his body.

"I can't believe you just did that," said a shocked Danna, "the risk…"

"Will be worth it if it works," said Aiden. All of a sudden his eyes dilated fully and his skin turned green. "What?" he asked as he saw that everyone was looking at him, "what? Did I mutate?"

"A little, I think," said Sora in an uncomfortable tone.

Just then Aiden's skin and eyes returned to normal. "You're okay now," said Rita, "so, did it work?"

"We'll know when a Thrall tries to bite me," said Aiden.

"What about the rest of us?" Reina asked, "you did all that, just to make one little bottle of antidote. There's not enough of it to vaccinate the rest of us, let alone the rest of the humans in the universe."

"Maybe not," said Aiden, "but I anticipated that. Once the antidote has fully integrated with my system, we can use my blood to make more of the antidote."

"Makes sense to me," said Guy, "but I'll feel better if we make the original antidote stretch out as much as it can."

"I'd say there's five or so doses left," said Ben, "so, who gets them?"

"We'll just draw lots," said Riku, "it's the only fair way."

"I agree," said Cassie, "fair is fair."

They then got a small bag of marbles, one for each of our heroes and allies, while most of the marbles were white and five were black. One by one Sora and the others drew a marble and when all the marbles were drawn, Sora, Kairi, Guy, Cassie and Ben had the black ones.

"Well that wasn't fair," said an annoyed Reina as Aiden administered the cure to Sora, Kairi, Guy, Cassie and Ben, all of them experiencing the side effects of dilated pupils and brief green skin.

"We all agreed to draw lots," said Riku.

"Even if it means that the rest of us will have to wait until everyone's systems have accepted the cure," said Tess, "how long is that gonna take?"

"A couple of hours," said Aiden, "I think."

"You think?" Roxas asked.

"Hey, I'm an alchemist, not a doctor," said Aiden.

"You mean you made this crackpot cure and you're not even a doctor?" Ben asked in an outraged tone.

"I never said I was a doctor," said Aiden. He then looked at the bottle, "and you know, there's actually enough for one more dose."

"Well who gets it?" Reina asked.

"Give it to Danna," said one of the espers. At that the rest of the E-Branch team nodded in agreement.

"Why me?" Danna asked, "why not one of the twins?"

"And leave out the other?" Rita asked.

"I think not!" said both twins at the same time.

"You should get the dose, Danna," said Guy.

"You're the one with the Wamphyri sensing power," said Cassie, "take the dose."

"Is that an order?" an annoyed Danna asked.

"If it has to be," said Cassie.

"Alright," said Danna. She walked up to Aiden, "fix me up already." She sat down and held her head up with her eyes open.

"Just hold still and take the medicine," said Aiden as he dropped the cure into Danna's eye. She blinked and her eyes dilated followed by her skin turning green.

"Okay, you guys are safe," said Tess, "and the rest of us can still turn into vampires if we're bitten."

"We've still got to take that chance," said Sora, "Aurora and Phillip are still missing."

"For all we know they could be Thralls by now," said Reina.

"Good gracious!" exclaimed Fauna, "I hope not."

"They're still alive," said Flora, "that's all we know for sure."

"We'll find them," said Sora, "count on it." He looked at the others, "come on, everyone! Let's go!" at that everyone shouted in agreement.

"But where are we supposed to go?" Roxas asked.

"There's a passage to the underground over there," said Flora as she pointed to a large manhole in the street.

"Outstanding," said Guy, while the special ops opened the manhole, checked with flashlights attached to crossbows and signaled that the coast was clear. One by one our heroes dropped into the manhole, with Sora pausing to give the three fairies the thumbs up before jumping in.

"Do you really think they can save Aurora and Phillip?" Fauna asked after our heroes and allies went into the underground.

"I sincerely hope so," said Flora.

"Oh, I feel so…" said Merryweather, "so…inadequate. I just wish we could have done something more to help."

"Oh my stars!" said Flora, "we could have! We could have used a duplicating spell on the antidote, so that they all could have been safe from the vampires."

"Well, it's too late," said Merryweather, "they're already underground."

"We can only hope that they succeed," said Fauna.

"Or we can go after them," said Flora.

"And fight whatever horrible thing is down there?" Merryweather asked, "I think not."

"Then all we can do is hope and wait," said Fauna.

* * *

"I just realized something," said Kairi as our heroes and allies hurried through the underground tunnels, "we could have asked the fairies to duplicate the cure so we could all be safe."

"And have enough to start vaccinating the rest of the world," said Cassie.

"I doubt it would work," said Aiden, "I feel that mixing different kinds of magic, such as what the fairies used, and alchemy, wouldn't turn out so good."

"Call me crazy," said Naminé, "but I'm partial to agree. Different forms of magic shouldn't mix if you don't know what you're doing."

"Like us half the time," said Roxas.

"What do you mean you don't know what you're doing half the time?" Reina asked.

"What do you mean what do we mean we don't know what we're doing half the time?" Riku asked.

"We've been pretty much running on luck for a long time," said Sora.

"But luck doesn't last forever," said Cassie, "what do you do when your luck changes?"

"We keep going and hope for the best," said Sora.

"And what happens if your best isn't good enough?" Guy asked.

"We keep trying, of course," said Kairi.

Just then Danna tensed, "Thralls at twelve o'clock!"

At that moment half a dozen Thralls, half of them male, wearing butler uniforms, the others girls in maid outfits, appeared in front of our heroes.

"My guess," said Rita, "this Lieutenant likes the rich life."

"So," said Tess as she summoned her Keyblade and glared at the Thralls, "which one of you wants to burn first?" At that Sora, Riku, Kairi, Aiden and Roxas summoned their Keyblades, while the others readied their weapons.

But instead of moving to attack, the Thralls just stood there, until one of the butlers flipped the bird at our heroes, "suck on this!" he shouted. He and the other Thralls then ran down the tunnel.

"What? No!" exclaimed Rita, "you're not getting away!"

"Nobody flips us off and gets away with it!" exclaimed Reina. With that she and her sister ran ahead after the fleeing Thralls.

"Wait! Don't rush into this!" shouted Cassie. With that she and everyone else ran after the twins.

"This has trap written all over it," said Guy.

"Then what do we do if it is a trap?" Aiden asked.

"We keep trying of course," said Sora, "no matter what."

"They're on their way, Ms. Leandra," said one of the maid Thralls.

"Smashing!" said a happily smiling Leandra, "let the games begin! Do open the doors for our new friends."

"As you command, Ms. Leandra," said one of the butler Thralls. He walked over to a large set of doors in the playroom.

"There's a door!" said Rita as she and Reina ran through the tunnel.

"Let's kick it down!" shouted Reina. With that she and her sister ran faster, intending on bursting through the doors.

But instead, the doors were opened by the butler Thrall. Reina and Rita overbalanced and fell into the room, with Sora, Kairi and the others crashing after them. As they tried to pick themselves, they heard Leandra giggling happily.

"You guys are so funny!" said Leandra, "I think I'll keep you."

At that Sora and the others saw Leandra and blinked in shock.

"A kid?" Ben asked in a dumbfounded tone, "the Lieutenant is a little girl?"

"What's up with this?" Aiden asked.

"Why didn't you tell us that the Lieutenant is a little girl?" Reina asked Danna.

"I can't tell how old the Lieutenant is," said Danna.

"Excuse me," said one of the butler Thralls, "but you're being very rude to Ms. Leandra."

"Rude?" Kairi asked, "what are you talking about?"

"You're a silly lady," said Leandra, "your names. Aren't you going to tell me your names?"

"Why should we?" Guy asked, "you're a Wamphyri, an undead monster that preys on all that is good and innocent in life."

"Well, that's not right," said Leandra in a sour tone, "just because I'm a vampire, doesn't mean we can't have fun. So, why don't you just tell me who you are and we'll start the games?"

"What games?" Riku asked.

"Aren't you going to start a monologue on how superior vampires are to humans and how you're going to either kill us or turn us into vampires?" Tess asked.

"That's no fun," said Leandra, "why fight, when we can settle our differences in a game?"

"You just want to play," said Sora, "oh, okay, let's play. I'm Sora."

At that Leandra stood up, walked over and shook Sora's hand, "nice to meet you, Sora."

"So you just want to play games?" Kairi asked, "okay, I'm Kairi."

"Please to meet you, Kairi," said Leandra as she and Kairi shook hands.

"I've got a bad feeling about this," said Tess, "this reminds us of something Bella and Jacob told us."

"About what?" Riku asked.

"About how vampires on their world don't change children into vampires," said Tess, "that 'immortal children' as they call them, are so dangerous that they were made forbidden by The Volturi, and those guys aren't to be messed with."

"Immortal children?" Leandra asked in a confused tone, "I don't know what you're talking about. I just want to be your friend and play a few games."

"I still don't trust her," said Tess.

"Neither do I," said Roxas. He glared at Leandra, "what did you do to Aurora and Phillip? And all those other kids that have gone missing?"

"I'll tell you everything you want to know," said Leandra, "after you tell me your names and we play a few games."

"She seems harmless to me," said Aiden. He then shook hands with the young Wamphyri Lieutenant and introduced himself.

Willing to take a chance, our heroes and allies all gave their names to Leandra and shook hands with her.

"Now that we're all acquainted," said Leandra, "let's play!" Her eyes then glowed brightly.

"Dark magic!" said Reina, "she's about to unleash some major mojo!"

"I knew we couldn't trust her!" said Tess as she summoned her Keyblade, "get her!"

"No, I'm about to get all of you!" exclaimed Leandara, "you're all mind now!" She then unleashed her dark magic and with a flash, everyone, except Sora, Kairi, Aiden, Guy, Cassie, Danna and Ben, vanished.

"What happened?" Sora asked as he looked around, "what did she do?"

"I didn't feel anything," said Kairi.

"Neither did I," said Danna, while, Ben, Cassie, Guy and Aiden nodded in agreement.

Leandra looked at them in confusion, "what happened? Why didn't my spell work on you guys?"

"What spell?" Cassie asked, "what did you do to our friends!"

"Look down," said a giggling Leandra, "it worked on them!"

Sora, Kairi, Aiden, Guy, Cassie, Ben and Danna looked down and to their horror, saw that Riku, Tess, Roxas, Naminé, Reina, Rita and the other E-Branch operatives had been transfigured into lifelike dolls. They were accurate in every detail, only now they were reduced to 1 foot tall.

"You turned our friends into dolls?" a shocked Kairi asked.

"That's right," said a happily grinning Leandra. Her eyes then glowed and the dolls on the floor levitated and flew across the room, landing neatly on an empty shelf. "They're now part of my collection, just like so many others."

Our heroes looked around and saw, to their even greater horror that the walls of the room were full of shelves that were filled with dolls, all of them looking very much like children.

"That's what you've done to the children of this world," said a disturbed Cassie, "that's your power!"

"That's right!" said Leandra, "but why didn't you guys turn into dolls? Why didn't my magic effect you?"

"The antidote," said Aiden, "not only are we immune from becoming Wamphyri, but it's also protecting us from Leandra's powers."

"So," said Leandra as she irately glared at our heroes, "that potion you were talking about earlier, you made it."

"And it works," said Aiden, "now, you're going to turn our friends back to normal, and everyone else you've turn into a doll, or else."

"Or else what?" Leandra asked.

"Or you'll get such a spanking!" said an outraged Danna.

"Or we could just burn you," said Ben.

"You could do that," said Leandra, she then smiled mischievously, "or, we can play a different game, one involving normal magic instead of undead magic."

"Watch out!" said Kairi, "she's got something terrible planed!"

"Oh, you'll like this game," said Leandra, "it's called…" her eyes glowed again, "…'frozen coffins!'"

"No!" shouted Aiden as he rushed at Leandra, but he tripped on a lose shoelace and fell to the floor. But when he got up, he saw, to his even greater horror, that Sora, Kairi, Cassie, Guy, Danna and Ben were all encased in solid ice.

"You little bitch!" spat Aiden, "you won't be jinxing me!" he rushed at Leandra with his Keyblade out, but again tripped on his shoelace.

Leandra giggled as she levitated and hovered over to Aiden, "you're such a silly boy," she hovered right over him, "I think I'll make you into one of my butlers. You can serve me tea and crumpets forever." She then bared her fangs and prepared to bite Aiden on the neck.

Aiden knew he was in trouble. Even after avoiding two of Leandra's spells, there was still the chance that the antidote wouldn't keep him human if she bit him. He knew he could dodge the little vampire's deadly kiss, but with just him fighting, the odds were hardly in his favor. But out of the corner of his eye he saw something that might just prove to be not only his salvation, but also save his friends and the rest of the world.

"Wait!" he shouted. He then pointed to a pile of toys on one corner of the room, "is that Snakes and Ladders over there?"

Leandra looked at the toy pile, then back to Aiden, "why yes, that is Snakes and Ladders. Do you play?"

"I played it all the time when I was little," said Aiden, "it was very popular back in my village. We even had seasonal tournaments."

"Did you win much?" Leandra asked as she hovered away from Aiden and landed neatly on her feet.

"I've got three tournament medals," said Aiden. He stood up and took from his pocket three small gold medals that had a snake and a ladder on them, "I've never showed anyone these since I left home, not Sora, not anyone."

"Then why are you showing them to me?" Leandra asked.

"Because I've got a proposal for you," said Aiden, "you like games? Okay, we'll play a game, a game of Snakes and Ladders. If I win, you thaw out Sora, Kairi, Cassie, Guy, Ben and Danna, and turn everyone you've turned into a doll back to normal."

"And if I win?" Leandra asked.

"You still let my friends go," said Aiden, "but keep me. I'll stay with you and we'll play games for as long as you want."

"But I want to play forever," said Leandra, "if you want to play with me forever, then I'll have to make you like me; immortal, and I can't do that, thanks to that potion of yours."

"I made the antidote," said Aiden, "I'm sure I can think of a anti-antidote."

"Then you'll do that?" Leandra asked cautiously, "let yourself become a Wamphyri like me?"

At that Aiden sighed reluctantly but still determined, "if that's what it takes to help my friends, then yes."

At that Leandra laughed happily, "oh, this is wonderful! I've waited so long for someone who would be my immortal friend!"

"Then we've got a deal?" Aiden asked.

"Umm…" said Leandra in a thoughtful tone, "not really. You see, just having you wager your humanity isn't enough. If we're really going to play, if we're really going to have fun, then it's got to be something special, something that neither of us will ever forget."

"What do you have in mind?" Aiden asked cautiously.

"A couple of things," said Leandra. She walked over to the toy pile and pointed to the Snakes and Ladders board, "this game is alright, but how about 3D Snakes and Ladders, ever played that?"

"No," said Aiden in a curious tone, "but I think I know what it's all about. It's just like the normal version, but on multiple levels, right?"

"Absolutely," said Leandra as she grabbed something out of the toy pile, something that turned out to be a holographic projector. She placed it on the table and turned it on, projecting a green and yellow image of a 10 level cube that had a hundred squares on each level. Scattered randomly across the board were various-colored snakes and ladders. Some connected one level to the one on top or bottom, while others connected one level to one four levels away.

"Interesting," said Aiden as he looked at the hologram, "very interesting."

"We use these pieces," said Leandra as she produced several carved stones in the shape of human children, "the holograms are solid so we can place the pieces on the board and move them about," she then produced a pair of dice, "and we roll with these."

"Okay," said Aiden, "I'm good with this."

"There's one more thing I want out of this," said Leandra.

"What more do you want?" Aiden asked.

"It wouldn't be fair if we're the only ones playing," said Leandra, "so," her eyes glowed again, and before Aiden knew it, Sora and the others who were frozen were thawed out.

"What?" Kairi asked, "what's going on, Aiden?"

"I'm saving everyone's lives," said Aiden. He looked at Leandra, "what's this all about?"

"I told you that it wouldn't be fair if we just played," said Leandra, "so now your friends get to play as well." Her eyes glowed and Sora, Kairi, Guy, Cassie, Ben and Danna vanished.

"What did you do to them?" Aiden demanded of Leandra.

"I sent them away," said Leandra, "but don't worry, they're perfectly safe." Her eyes glowed and a large image appeared in the air, one that showed Sora, Kairi, Guy, Cassie, Ben and Danna in a dark room that had strange outlines.

"They're going to play a different set of games," said Leandra, "with each game different, but the overall challenge is to advance to the next game. If they win six games in a row, one for each of them, they will arrive back here in my playroom. But if the one playing loses their game…" she giggled wickedly, "they get frozen again."

"What's the point of that?" exclaimed Aiden.

"For them to have fun too!" said Leandra, "and here's the best part; if just one of your friends makes it back here, I'll unfreeze the rest, but if none of them make it back, they all stay frozen, until you win your game of course. But if that's the case, then your friends that were turned into dolls, they're mine, forever."

"So that's how it'll be," said Aiden irately, "anything else?"

"Just one more thing," said Leandra, "no cheating. I hate cheaters. Oh don't get me wrong, things will be hard for you and your friends, but still fair. I won't cheat, and I won't appreciate being called a cheater, so don't complain when things get too hard for you."

"Don't give me a reason to complain and I won't," said Aiden, "so, are you satisfied yet? Any other conditions you want to throw at me? Or," he picked up a green piece and placed it at the 'Start' square, situated at the bottom left corner of the 10-level board, "are we going to play?"

"I'm good," said Leandra as she placed a red piece next to Aiden's. She then picked up the dice and shook them in her hand, "whoever rolls the highest number goes first," she then rolled. The dice landed with a '4' and a '3.' "Seven," said a happily smiling Leandra, "my lucky number!"

Aiden picked up the dice and rolled a '5' and a '4', "nine, looks like luck is on my side now."

"Luck changes," said Leandra, "so enjoy it while you can."

"I intend to," said Aiden. He picked up the dice and rolled, starting the game. "Seven," he moved his piece seven spaces, passing the tail of a 'snake' and two spaces away from a 'ladder' that would take him up two levels. "Your move."

Leandra picked up the dice and rolled, "eight," she moved her piece to the square right in front of Aiden's, "and since we're on our way 'home,' so to speak, your friends can begin their games."

"What are you going to do to them?" Aiden asked as he picked up the dice and rolled a 3, missing the ladder but regaining his lead on Leandra.

"You'll find out," said Leandra as she smiled wickedly as she picked up the dice and rolled a 2, landing her piece on the same square on Aiden's, "oh, just so you'll know, there's no effect if both players land on the same square. I wish there was though, it would have been that much more fun."

"I'll bet," said Aiden as he picked up the dice and rolled a 9, advancing to the next line in the level but missing another ladder that would take him up to the next level.

"Still, we all might as well have fun," said Leandra. Her eyes glowed, "take a peek, your friends' games are about to start."

* * *

"Okay, now I'm pissed!" said Danna as she, Ben, Cassie, Guy, Kairi and Sora, struggled to find their way through the dark room, resulting in Danna just now banging her shin against something solid, "the next time I see that little vampire brat, I'll crucify her!"

"I'll just settle on burning her," said Ben.

"I just want to focus on getting back to Aiden," said Sora.

"What was he thinking?" Kairi asked, "taking on that crazy little girl all by himself. He's lost it."

"I'm partial to agree," said Guy.

"Well whatever he was thinking about," said Cassie, "it won't matter if we can't figure out how to get back to him."

"It'd be much easier if we could just see!" said an irate Danna.

Just then the lights came on. Sora and the others were momentarily blinded by the sudden brightness. When their vision cleared, they saw that they were in a room with blue walls and a floor covered in green Astroturf.

Throughout the room were various items that would be found on an average obstacle course; a short ladder leading to a plank spanning a pit, leading to a rope swing across a mud puddle, followed by a double row of tires, a series of raised stepping stones and finally a series of padded pendulums swinging across a path.

"What's this all about?" Ben asked.

Just then one of the Thrall butlers and one of the Thrall maids appeared in front of our heroes, "this is your game that Ms. Leandra prepared for you," said the maid.

"Ms. Leandra wishes to keep you entertained while she squares off against her future companion," said the butler.

"Uh…FYI," said Danna, she pointed at the obstacle course, "this is hardly my idea of fun."

"Me neither," said Guy, "I mean, obstacle courses are alright for training, but not to have fun when your friends are in trouble."

"I've got a feeling that we don't have a choice but to play," said Ben.

"You do have a choice," said the butler, "you can choose to not play."

"But then you'll never leave this room," said the maid, "you'll be trapped here forever, until you win the game. Only then will the door to the next game will appear."

"So all we have to do to get back to Aiden is play this game?" Sora asked, "okay, I'll play."

"You don't even know what this game is supposed to be," said Kairi.

"I can guess," said Sora as he looked at the obstacle course, "just get through it."

"Indeed," said the butler, "one of you shall play against one of us."

"Boy vs. boy," said the maid, "or girl vs. girl. Each player will have one chance to make it past the obstacles without falling down. If you fall just once, you lose and you get frozen."

"Win and you all pass to the next game," said the butler, "so, who gets to play?"

"I said I'd do it," said Sora as he walked to the to the ladder leading to the plank across the pit.

"Not so fast," said the butler as he walked up to the ladder, "there's a catch."

"Each player plays while blindfolded," said the maid as she pulled out a white blindfold and tied it around the butler's eyes. She then pulled out an identical blindfold and handed it to Sora.

"Blindfolded?" Sora asked, "okay, I'll play it that way."

The maid then pulled out a quarter sized coin, "we'll flip to see who goes first." she flipped the coin and caught it, "call it."

"Heads," said Sora.

The maid revealed that the coin was tails side up, "we go first. Oh, and someone on your team can direct the player, just to be fair."

"I'll direct Sora," said Kairi. She then looked at Sora, "you trust me?"

"Of course," said Sora.

"Then let's get started!" said the vampire maid. The butler then climbed the ladder and started across the plank. He crossed it without losing balance even once. The maid then told him where to grab the rope and he swung across the mud trap. He then jogged through the tires with only token directions from the maid, then across the stepping stones and then past the pendulums, all with only occasional directions from the maid.

"Finished!" said the made happily as the butler took off his blindfold and gave an elaborate bow.

"Very nice," said Guy as he sarcastically clapped.

"Now it's Sora's turn," said Cassie.

"But the other guy already won," said Sora, "what happens if I win?"

"Then we do it all over again," said the butler, "and again and again until one of us falls."

"That'll take way too long," said Danna.

"It's okay," said Sora, "I'll win, as many times as I have to in order to get us back to Aiden and the others." He tied the blindfold across his eyes and started up the ladder. When he began to cross the plank, he nearly lost his balance on the first step.

"Sora!" exclaimed Kairi, "be careful!"

"Balance, man!" said Guy, "balance!"

"Silence!" said the butler, "only the one directing may speak. Everyone else must remain quiet, so as not to distract the player."

"Everyone, just keep quiet and let Kairi help me," said Sora, "I can do this."

"Just keep one foot in front of the other, Sora," said Kairi, "you can do it."

Sora then carefully made his way across the plank, after nearly falling off twice more, but Kairi guided him to the rope swing. He made it to the other side of the mud trap, but nearly lost his balance and fell back into the mud. He regained his balance, then started through the tires, nearly falling three times. Then he got to the stepping stones and nearly fell off of each one, then was hit twice by the padded pendulums, but thanks to Kairi's guidance, made it through.

"That was way too close," said Guy.

"And too hard for my taste," said Cassie, "something's wrong here."

"What are you talking about?" the butler asked, "nothing's wrong."

"Everything is fair and square here," said the maid.

"Square my eye," said Danna, "this stinks of cheating." She stomped over to the butler and grabbed the blindfold out of his hands.

"Hey! That's mine!" said the butler.

Danna held the blindfold up to the light, then glared irately at the butler, "you cheating bastard!"

"I didn't cheat!' said the butler.

"Yes you did!" said Danna as she hurried over to the others and showed them the blindfold, which was more like a silk veil than an actual blindfold, "you can see right through this. That Thrall could see what he was doing the whole time!"

"You call this a fair game?" Kairi asked as she grabbed Sora's blindfold and threw it at the butler, "now, we're going to do this all over, but on fair grounds, or else."

"Or else what?" the butler asked.

"Or I'll slice you up the middle," said Kairi as she summed her Keyblade, "I'm starting to think that you've got no extraordinary powers. You're just vampires, and not very good ones at that."

"Do it," said Sora as he summoned his Keyblade, "put the real blindfold on, or you'll both get it."

At that both the maid and the butler looked like they had just realized how much in trouble they were. Reluctantly, the butler put the real blindfold on and climbed up the ladder. He started across the plank but nearly fell off about a third of the way through. The maid tried to give instructions and the butler made it across the other side.

The butler then grasped for the rope to swing across the mud trap but kept missing it. Again, the maid tried to give directions but the maid kept missing. He finally grabbed it and swung across, only to nearly lose balance and fall into the mud.

But then he reached the tires and tripped on the first tire, falling flat on his face.

"Boom!" said Ben, "game over!"

"Oh no," said the butler in a terrified tone, "no!"

"We lost," said the maid in a horrified tone, "and Ms. Leandra doesn't like it when we lose."

Just then Sora and the others heard a beeping sound coming from the maid and butler. Before our heroes could react, the butler and maid burst into flames and were reduced to ashes.

"What the hell just happened?" a shocked Cassie asked.

"Isn't it obvious?" Danna asked, "Leandra's an evil bitch who refuses to accept failure of any kind. Instead of freezing them, she destroyed her servants."

Just then the obstacle course vanished and a door appeared at the far end of the room.

"If that's not the way forward, I don't know what is," said Cassie.

"Then let's get going!" said Sora. With that they all ran for the door, opened it and ran through.

* * *

"I thought you said there would be no cheating!" said Aiden to Leandra. At that time, both players were on the second level of the board, with Leandra ahead of Aiden by four squares.

"I'm not cheating!" spat Leandra.

"But your goons are," said Aiden, "just now, that butler Sora was facing against, he cheated."

"What are you talking about?" Leandra asked, "I saw no such thing."

"He did cheat!" said Aiden, "and Sora caught him doing it!"

Leandra used a spell that replayed the game between Sora and the butler and she saw the butler being exposed using a see-through blindfold. "Why, yes he did cheat," said an astonished Leandra. She then looked at Aiden in an regretful tone, "I'm so sorry that happened."

"You're sorry?" Aiden asked, "_you're _sorry? My friends are the ones who have to put up with cheating minions."

"I never told my minions to cheat," said Leandra, "and you'd better stop accusing me of cheating, or else."

"Or else what?" Aiden asked.

"You don't want to know," said Leandra as she picked up the dice, "my roll!" she then rolled a 12, "smashing!" she advanced her piece twelve spaces, widening her lead over Aiden, "your turn."

Aiden took the dice and rolled a 9, only to land on a 'Snake' and slid down to the last row in the first level.

"Oh, bad luck," said Leandra.

"So I slid down," said Aiden, "so what? I can still win. It ain't over till it's over!"

"That's the spirit!' said Leandra as she rolled a 7, then Aiden rolled a 10. "and look, your friends are about to start their next game."

"I'm shaking in anticipation," said Aiden sarcastically.

* * *

"Now what?" Kairi asked as they reached a room that was laid out like a giant 3D map of a battlefield; it was a hilly area cut diagonally by a river with three bridges. Here and there were trees and a few random buildings.

"I think I know what this is all about," said Guy, "it's a playing field for miniature battles."

"Miniature battles?" Sora asked, "little battles?"

"I take it you've never played Warhammer," said Guy. "I used to play that game all the time when I was little."

"Oh, right, Warhammer," said Ben, "it's a fantasy battle game where you make your own armies out of plastic minatures, which you assemble and paint yourself."

"Creating your army is half the fun," said Guy.

Just then a Thrall butler and maid appeared, "where fighting is the other half," said the maid.

"So you're going to be the one that one of us has to play now?" Cassie asked.

"That's right," said the vampire maid, "so," with a wave of her hand several large boxes appeared in front of Guy, "choose your race and units."

Guy looked into each box and picked one he liked, "I'll be 'The Empire.'" He then pulled out several pieces that were of small human soldiers in various army units ranging from infantry to archers and cavalry, as well as war machines and spell casters. "who will your army be?" he asked the maid.

"'The Undead,' of course," said the maid as she summoned a black box and began pulling out pieces that were of different styles of zombies, skeletons and other undead units.

"I don't get this," said Sora.

"It's quite simple," said Ben, "in this game, two armies face off against each other in a battle. Sometimes it's a fight to the finish, with whomever has units left standing is the winner. Other times there's an objective, such as to capture a specific position, or take out one of your opponent's lead units in order to 'discourage' the enemy and make them 'retreat' from the battlefield."

"I'm willing to wager that this battle will be to the finish," said Guy as he and the vampire maid set up their pieces on the battlefield on opposite sides of the river.

"Right in one, big boy," said the vampire maid, "now," she then summoned a series of multi-sided dice, "we roll the big 20d to see who makes the first move."

Guy took the twenty-sided dice and rolled a 16. The vampire maid rolled a 14, so Guy took up some of the normal dice and rolled, moving one of his units across the battlefield. The vampire maid then rolled and moved one of her units.

"How long is this going to take?" Sora asked as he watched Guy and the vampire maid move their units across the battlefield.

"It's a big battlefield," said Cassie, "and since they can only move one unit at a time per turn, it'll be a while before they actually start fighting."

"They're using the area of the battlefield to formulate strategies," said Ben, "positioning their armies the best way they can before striking."

"But the battlefield is set up so that the only way they can truly attack each other is to cross the bridges on the river," said Cassie, "so whoever gets their units onto the other side first will have the advantage."

"But it all comes down to luck," said Ben, "luck of the dice. You could be outnumbered and surrounded, but still win with a couple of lucky throws."

Eventually, Guy got some of his units across the river. But it was the vampire maid who attacked first.

"Now comes the technical and complicated part," said Ben, "each attack consists of several dice throws to determine if the attack is successful, how strong the attack is and how strong the enemy's defense is."

Yet when Guy made his dice rolls, he ended up losing the attack and the vampire maid countered and destroyed his unit.

On the next turn the vampire maid attacked another of Guy's units and with a series of lucky dice rolls, destroyed his unit. Over the next several turns, Guy did his best to attack the vampire maid's undead units, but she kept getting lucky throws and ended up destroying his units.

"It Guy really any good at this game?" Kairi asked.

"He's a master at it," said Cassie, "but again, it all comes down to luck of the dice. But…I've never seen him have this bad a streak of luck before."

"This als has cheating written all over it," said Danna. She then walked over to the battlefield and grabbed the dice from the vampire maid before she could roll.

"Hey!" exclaimed the vampire maid as Danna felt the dice in her hands, testing their weight and getting an all around sense of them, "it's my turn!"

"Not any more!" said Danna as she walked over to Guy and showed the dice to him, "these dice are fixed with vampire mojo! She's been cheating since the beginning!"

Kairi walked over and took the dice, "they are loaded! I can sense it!"

"You cheating undead bitch!" spat Guy, "I ought to burn you right here and now!"

"Wait," said Cassie, "at least until you win the game," she looked at the vampire maid, whom looked as if she had just been caught with her hand in the cookie jar, "for we can't leave the room until we win, right?"

"Uh…yeah," said the vampire maid, "but…"

"But nothing," said Guy, "now, we're going to play fair and square, without any of your mojo affecting the game, right?"

"I think I can undo the mojo," said Kairi. She then held the dice in her hands and focused her magic and unleashed it on the dice with a white flash. "Right, they should be okay now."

"They're mojo free now," said Danna as she took the dice, "how did you know you could do that?"

"I didn't," said Kairi, "it was a hunch, and I guess I can do it now because of Aiden's antidote."

"Remind me to kiss that genius boy," said Cassie.

"Later," said Guy as he took the dice from Danna and handed them back to the vampire maid, "now, fair game from now on, right?"

"Or are we going to have to get medieval on your asses?" Ben asked as he hefted his crossbow.

"Yours too!" said Cassie as she aimed her crossbow at the vampire butler.

"I'm just here to watch," said the vampire butler as he raised his hands in surrender.

Reluctantly, the vampire maid took the dice and rolled, this time the outcome was much more in Guy's favor.

"Now this is more like it," said Guy as he rolled his turn, moving another unit across the river. As the game progressed, Guy moved more of his units into position, attacked and destroyed several of the undead units.

"He's winning now," said Kairi, "he's destroyed over half of the vampire's units."

"And the vampire maid isn't looking to confident," said Ben.

True, the vampire maid was looking more and more nervous with each unit she lost. She was beginning to make mistakes, moving units in the wrong direction and not as far as she could have, guessing wrong on attacks and not attacking when she could have, and it was only getting worse as Guy gained more ground on her.

Eventually the vampire maid was down to just one unit, which had been back up to the edge of the battlefield and surrounded by Guy's units.

"It's your move," said Guy, "you can still win, if you're lucky."

But the vampire maid was looking like she was on the verge of a panic attack, her eyes darting around the battlefield, looking for a means to win, while the hand that held the dice was visibly shaking.

"Well?" Guy asked, "make your move already. You may be immortal, but I'm not getting any younger."

But the vampire maid looked as if she had lost all reason and threw the dice at Guy, distracting him just enough for her to leap at him with her fangs ready to rip his throat out.

But Ben and Cassie fired their crossbows and both hit the vampire maid in the heart, dropping her to the floor like a sack of potatoes, while the butler vampire, who had rushed at Guy from another direction, had his head cut off by Sora.

"I think this counts as forfeiting the game," said Kairi.

"Couldn't agree more," said Guy as he used his knife to cut the vampire maid's head off.

Cassie the pulled out a bottle of lighter fluid, "just in case I'm caught without a flame thrower," she said as she started pouring the flammable liquid over the remains of the two Thralls. She then took out a lighter and incinerated the two undead monsters.

Instantly, the battlefield vanished and a door appeared at the far end of the room.

"Let's get going," said Sora.

"What kind of crazy game will Leandra force us to play next?" Cassie asked.

"Whatever it'll be," said Danna, "you can guarantee that whomever we'll be playing with is going to cheat."

"You got that right," said Guy, "they can win unless they cheat."

* * *

"Straight from the horses' mouth," said Aiden as he watched Sora and the others pass through the door to the next room. He then glared at Leandra, "your minions are cheating, and you're making them do it!"

"No I'm not!" snapped Leandra as she rolled 9, landing her piece on a ladder that took her up from the 3rd level up to the 5th, while Aiden was only halfway through the 2nd level.

"Don't lie!" said Aiden, "actions speak louder than words, and your servants are acting on your orders. For all I know, this whole thing is one big cheat!"

"I don't cheat!" spat Leandra, "I'm just lucky, and my servants only cheat because they choose to, not because I tell them to, which I didn't. Now make your move."

"No," said Aiden.

"What?" Leandra asked.

"You heard me," said Aiden, "I'm not playing any more. Not until you start playing fair."

"I've been playing fair since the game started, you meanie!" said Leandra as she stood up and glared at Aiden, "now play on!"

"No," said Aiden as he stubbornly crossed his arms.

"You will play on!" said Leandra coldly, "or else."

"Or else what?" Aiden asked as he stood up, "you're going to bite me?" he summoned his Keyblade, "I'm ready for you now!"

"I'm not going to hurt you," said Leandra, "but I will hurt your friends!" her eyes glowed and levitated one of the dolls that used to be one of the E-Branch special ops over to her. She grabbed the doll, "now play on."

"No," said Aiden in a much more quiet yet still determined tone. He was confused and a little nervous on what Leandra was planning.

Without warning, Leandra ripped the doll's head off, then tore the arms and legs off, then ripped the torso in half. "I just killed one of your friends. Go ahead and try to use your special power to fix your friend, it won't save him, for when I break my toys, nothing can fix it, nothing."

"I…I believe you," said Aiden. Somehow he sense a sudden release of energy from the doll when Leandra ripped it apart, as if the doll that was a human being had lost its life force.

"Then you know what will happen if you accuse me of cheating again," said Leandra, "or if you refuse to play," she looked at the dolls that used to be Riku, Tess, Roxas, Naminé, the twins and the rest of the E-Branch team, "I could hold another of your friends hostage, and maybe destroy one just to spite you." She then smiled wickedly, "no, I've got something better in mind." She then picked up the doll she had been playing with when our heroes first arrived in the dark playroom.

"Recognize this little one?" Leandra asked as she held the doll for Aiden to get a better look at.

"It does look familiar," said Aiden. He then blinked in horror as he realized just whom the doll reminded him of, "no, it can't be! You…you didn't!"

At that Leandra giggled maniacally, "I did! I turned Princess Aurora into a doll!" she then possessively clutched the doll that was indeed Aurora, "She's mine, mine forever!" She then glared irately at Aiden, "unless you piss me off again!" she then grabbed the doll by the head and began twisting, threatening to rip Aurora's head off.

"Don't!" shouted Aiden.

"I'll do it!" said Leandra, "I'll break her and she'll be truly dead!"

Aiden then realized that from the doll's eyes, tears were spilling. "You're hurting her," he said in a shocked tone.

"She's been totally aware of everything," said Leandra, "her and all of my dolls. And your friends as well. Now, you'd better play nice and fair, Aiden, and don't ever accuse me of cheating again, or not only will I break Aurora, I'll also break the other, just for spite."

"What other?" Aiden asked nervously, "who else…wait…no! It can't be!"

"Oh yes," said a wickedly grinning Leandra. She then levitated another doll from her toy shelf and brought it over for Aiden to see, "recognize this little man?"

"You did!" said a horrified Aiden as he realized that the doll was Phillip, "you little monster!"

"Thank you," said a grinning Leandra as she sat back down, setting Aurora to her left and Phillip to her right, "there now, we're all nice and comfy." She then looked at Aiden, "now, are you going to play nice and fair? Or am I going to have to ruin two of my favorite dolls in order to teach you a lesson?"

Aiden then saw that both the dolls were crying. He could only imagine the heartache both Aurora and Phillip were feeling; to be so helpless and separated from each others arms.

Aiden then looked at Leandra; the picture of timeless innocence, but also of pure evil. Part of Aiden felt like running away from this spawn of darkness. But the rest of him was outraged that Leandra, this spoiled brat of a vampire, would dare come between two hearts that were so much in love with each other. It filled his own heart with vengeful resolve, and his mind with the determination to do what had to be done, not just for Aurora and Phillip, not just for the still helpless Reina and Rita, not just for his friends whom were either also dolls or still struggling against Leandra's sadistic games, but for everyone.

And there was something else, something about that Leandra that reminded Aiden of something from his past. He couldn't put his finger on it, but whatever it was, it was important, something worth fighting for, and that only added more strength to his resolve to defeat this unwholesome evil.

"Alright, Leandra," said Aiden as he sat down and picked up the dice, "you want to play, let's play, for real now!" he shook the dice in his hand, "my move!" he then rolled the dice.

**The end of chapter 7.**

Next chapter sees our heroes continuing their struggle against Leandra's insidious games. Can Sora, Kairi, Guy, Cassie, Ben and Danna make it back to Aiden in time? Or will Aiden lose his life and soul to the malicious child vampire? Reviews will be rewarded with cake and pie. See you next time!


	8. Chapter 8: To Win Is To Lose

Last time found our heroes and allies arriving on The Enchanted Dominion, home of Aurora. They soon learned that, while there was only a handful of active Thralls accompanying the local Wamphyri Lieutenant, there were vastly more missing people, the majority of them children. What was even more shocking was that Aurora and Phillip were among the missing.

Our heroes and allies vowed to rescue the missing, while Aiden created a potential antidote to the Wamphyri plague. He was only able to make enough for himself and six others, so Sora, Kairi, Guy, Cassie, Ben and Danna received the antidote.

The gang ventured into the underground in search of the Wamphyri Lieutenant, the childlike sorceress, Leandra. Her vampire powers allowed her to turn the children of the world into dolls, which is what she did to those among our heroes who didn't receive the antidote. Leandra then used a different spell to freeze Sora, Kairi, Cassie, Guy, Ben and Danna solid and was about to bite Aiden, when he challenged her to an all or nothing game of Snakes and Ladders. They wound up playing a 3D version of the game, while Sora, Kairi, Cassie, Guy, Ben and Danna were forced to play with the Thralls in games where the vampires tried to cheat.

This really annoyed Aiden, who accused Leandra of cheating time and again. The child vampire was so annoyed she destroyed one of the E-Branch operatives, then threatened to destroy her favorite doll, which turned out to be none other than Aurora, while Phillip had also been turned into a doll. But now Aiden knows just how serious things are. Now he's ready to play for real. 'Nuff said, on with the show!

_Note: like the last chapter, this one is inspired by the old Doctor Who serial, 'The Celestial Toymaker,' so please don't sue me._

**Chapter 8: To Win Is To Lose**

The dice came up 12 and Aiden moved his piece to a ladder, moving up to the third level, "now we're getting somewhere."

"Good move," said Leandra as she picked up the dice, "now," she then rolled and the dice came up 7. She moved forward to a blank space. "Your turn."

Aiden took the dice but hesitated before rolling, "I'd feel a bit better if I knew that you weren't going to destroy any more dolls."

"I told you I wouldn't hurt your friends so long as you plaid fair," said Leandra, "and stop calling me a cheater."

"I'd still feel better if you would put Aurora someplace safe," said Aiden, "what with your monstrous vampire strength, you could accidentally hurt her."

At that Leandra carefully held the doll that was Aurora in her arms as if it was the most precious thing in the universe, "I would never do that. I love my little friends, all of them. I spend half my time keeping track of them, remembering their names and making sure that they're all neat and tidy, and if one of them is damaged in some way, I fix it."

"Like you fixed one of my friends just now?" Aiden asked in an accusatory manner.

"I did that because you made me angry," said Leandra as she looked at Aiden crossly, "and I'll do it again if I have to. Now stop wasting time and play on!"

"I'll play when I know that Aurora is out of harms way," said Aiden, "I can wait as long as I have to."

At that Leandra glared angrily at Aiden, waiting for one more provocation to unleash her anger on another doll, possibly Aurora.

"Look," said Aiden, "just put her down somewhere safe. Call it a sign of trust, between friends."

"So, we're friends?" Leandra asked cautiously.

"We might as well be," said Aiden, "the way things are going right now, we're going to end up stuck with each other for all eternity, which doesn't mean that I'm giving up. Far from it, I'm going to play harder than before. I'll give you a game you'll never forget, and still be friends."

"Even after when I just destroyed one of your friends?" Leandra asked.

"I'm still going to try to save everyone else," said Aiden, "making you change everyone you transmuted into dolls back to human should be punishment enough, that and making you tell us where Zerlina is."

At that Leandra laughed, "like I'll betray mama Zerlina. But you've got an interesting idea there. Tell you what. If you win, I'll take you and your friends to mama Zerlina. But if I win, I take just you to her, after I make you my immortal playmate."

"And you'll still let Sora and the others go?" Aiden asked.

"Only if they finish their games," said Leandra.

"Okay, we'll do that," said Aiden, "now please put Aurora someplace safe so I can take my turn."

"Alright," said Leandra. She then levitated Aurora to an empty spot on a shelf, "there, she's safe now, so please get on with the game."

Aiden then rolled the dice, which came up as another 12, "any special effect for rolling doubles?" he asked as he moved his piece twelve spaces to a blank square.

"No, not doubles," said Leandra as she took the dice and rolled a 5, moving her piece to another blank square, "triples, yes, but not doubles. If you roll the same number three times in a row, you get to move twice that number on that turn."

"Cool," said an eager Aiden as he picked up the dice and rolled. But this time they came up as 6, "crap!" he said as he moved his piece six spaces and wound up on a snake, "double crap!" he exclaimed as he 'slid' down to the second level.

"Looks like I'm going to end up introducing you to mama Zerlina after all," said Leandra as she picked up the dice and rolled a 5. She moved her piece five spaces and ended up on a snake, sliding her piece down to the fourth level.

"Don't roll out the welcome wagon just yet," said Aiden as he took the dice, "I can still win here."

"You may still have a chance," said Leandra, "but your friends, their luck won't last for long. Their next game is about to start."

* * *

"Now where are we?" Danna asked as she, Ben, Sora, Kairi, Guy and Cassie, arrived in a room with a large maze. They were atop a platform that was overlooking a labyrinth sunk into the floor, giving our heroes a view of the maze. On the far end of the room was another platform.

"I'll bet that's where the door to the next room is," said Sora.

"And we have to get through the maze in order to get to it," said Kairi.

"Bingo!" said a vampire butler that appeared on the opposite platform, along with a vampire maid, "at the same time, I'll be making my way through the maze from over here. If we meet in the maze, we fight, but if I get to the other side before you get over here, you lose."

"So that's it," said Cassie, "kind of a variation on tag and hide'n'seek, right?"

"More or less," said the vampire butler, "so, let's play." A flight of stairs appeared next to both platforms, allowing access to the maze from both ends.

"Wait," said Sora to Kairi, "don't do it. He's going to cheat."

"I know he'll cheat," said Kairi, "but I'm going to do it anyway."

"But why?" Ben asked, "for the love of god, why?"

"Let me play the game," said Cassie.

"No, let me," said Ben, "I've got the better chance of beating a cheating vampire."

"Uh, hello?" Kairi asked, "I've got a Keyblade. I can handle myself against a Thrall in a fight. Trust me, okay?"

"I do trust you," said Sora, "but…"

"But nothing," said Kairi, "I can do this, Sora, believe it."

"Alright," said Sora, "but be careful. Who knows what dirty tricks this game will have."

"I always try to be careful," said Kairi. She then glared at the vampire butler, "okay, let's get this over with."

"Game start!" shouted the vampire maid. The butler and Kairi then ran down the stairs and into the maze.

"This seems way too simple," said Guy as our heroes watched Kairi and the vampire butler run through the maze, "I feel like there's more to this than just mixing tag and hide'n'seek."

"I'm afraid you're right," said Cassie, "they're going to pull a fast one, but what?"

Just then, as Kairi was approaching a right turn in the maze, one that would lead to an intersection a few paces along, a wall appeared in the maze, so when Kairi turned right, she found herself facing a dead end.

"Did you guys see that?" Sora asked as they watched Kairi turn around to go a different way.

"I saw it," said an irate Guy, "the maze changed on Kairi."

"And it changed for the vamp," said Cassie as she watched a wall open up for the vampire butler.

"Oh, this is too much," said an outraged Danna, "this is way too much." She then shouted, "Kairi! The maze is fixed!"

"I don't think she can hear you," said Guy as Kairi continued through the maze, coming to another altered dead end, while the vampire butler went through another wall.

"In that case," said Danna as she pulled out her crossbow, "I'm ending this game here and now!" she aimed the crossbow at the vampire butler and fired. But the bolt bounced off a barrier before it even got close.

"Foolish mortal!" said the vampire maid, "you cannot interfere in the game! They're in it until the finish.."

"Then I'll still finish it!" said Danna as she reloaded her crossbow. She then ran for the stairs into the maze, but the barrier stopped her from going down.

"Okay," said Danna, "now I'm pissed!" she then aimed her crossbow at the vampire maid, "stop cheating or you're shish kabob!"

"Destroy me and you destroy your friend," said the vampire maid, "if anything happens to me, the game will cause your friend to forfeit and lose her life."

"She's bluffing!" said Danna as she adjusted her aim.

"No, she's not," said Sora, "besides, we don't need to help Kairi. I trust her to win on her own."

"But…" said Danna.

"No buts, ifs or ands," said Sora, "trust Kairi, she can win, believe it."

"I'm willing to trust you, Sora," said Guy, "but how can Kairi win if the enemy keeps cheating?"

"How can we ever win out Leandra's sick games if they won't play fair at all?" Cassie asked.

"We just have to keep trying," said Sora, "and believe in each other, like how Kairi and I believe in each other."

Just then Kairi stopped to tie her shoe, then looked up in time to see the walls ahead of her change to form another dead end. She then realized what was going on, and sat down, as if resting.

"What's going on?" Danna asked, "why did Kairi stop?"

"She's playing the game her way," said Guy, "she knows that if she tries to get through the maze, she'll just keep running into dead ends, and I'll bet that she knows that the reverse is happening for her opponent. So now she's decided to wait and let the vampire come to her."

"But if she does nothing," said Ben, "then the vampire could get to this side of the maze first and she'll lose."

Just then Kairi bit her thumb and smeared some of her blood on the wall.

"Oh, now she's done it," said Cassie as she smiled in a knowing manner, "she's put the scent of blood into the maze."

"How is that…?" Danna asked, "oh…now I get it."

"No!" said the vampire maid, "she can't do that! That's cheating!"

"Practice what you preach, lady," said Danna as she smiled in a vindictive manner.

At that moment, the vampire butler stopped in his tracks and sniffed the air. A look of urgent desire came across his face. He then snarled in rage and ran in a different direction, forcing the maze to open a direct path to Kairi. She stood up as the vampire, lost in his thirst for blood, ran headlong towards her, his fangs bared and ready to sink into her neck. Kairi summoned her Keyblade and sidestepped as the vampire butler was almost on top of her and cut his head off.

The walls of the maze vanished and the door to the next area appeared on the far end platform.

"Oh no," said the vampire maid in a terrified tone. She then ran for the door.

"Stop her!" shouted Guy as he threw his knife at the vampire maid, while Cassie, and Danna fired their crossbows. All three projectiles hit the vampire maid in the back but each missed the heart. The undead creature fell to the floor, still existing but unable to move.

"That was brilliant, Kairi," said Sora as he and the others ran down the stairs to Kairi in the empty floor space, "using your own blood to lure the vampire to you."

"I figured that if I cannot get to the other side," said Kairi as she healed her cut thumb, "I might as well play things my way."

"That's what I said," remarked Guy, while Cassie lit the decapitated vampire butler on fire.

They all then crossed to the other platform where the impaled but still existing vampire maid was struggling to get up. Guy abruptly grabbed his knife from her back and pulled it out, earning a scream of pain from the vampire maid.

"Alright," said Guy as he flipped the vampire maid over and held his knife to her neck, "we're going to play a different game from now on. It's called 'I'm going to help the heroes go save their friends.' Sounds like fun, right?"

"I can't help you," said the vampire maid in a terrified tone, "Ms. Leandra will destroy me!"

"We're going to destroy you here and now if you don't help us," said Cassie, "and I've got plenty of lighter fluid left!" to emphasize the point, she shook the container of lighter fluid, which was still more than half full.

"So what's it going to be?" Cassie asked as she and Danna reloaded their crossbows, while Ben readied his, "help us? Or oblivion?"

"Alright, I'll help you!" said a frantic vampire maid, "I'll do it, but if Leandra decides to kill me, my final death is on your hands."

"Whatever," said Guy, while Cassie and Danna pulled out the crossbow bolts, earning more cries of pain from the vampire maid. They then helped the vampire maid back up, "lead on," said Guy. With that our heroes, with the vampire maid showing them the way, went through the door to the next area.

* * *

"Looks like you've got a mutiny on your hands," said Aiden as he rolled an 11 and moved his piece to a ladder, taking his piece from the third level up to the fifth, "and my luck is starting to change again."

"Maybe," said Leandra as she took the dice and rolled a 10, moving her piece to a ladder that took her from the sixth level up to the eighth, "then again, my luck is still going strong. And don't worry about my maid who thought it would be fun to betray me. I'll deal with her soon enough."

"So what are you going to do to my friends now?" Aiden asked as he took the dice and rolled a 5, moving his piece to a blank square.

At that Leandra paused in thought, "you know, I'm not so sure just yet," she took the dice and rolled a 6, moving her piece to a blank square, "I could give them a game that'll have them playing forever, or one that'll force them to hurt each other in order to win. Yes," she smiled wickedly, "that's the perfect game for them!"

"I don't believe this," said Aiden, "I know you're an immortal monster, but how can you be this cruel?"

"It's an acquired character trait," said Leandra as Aiden took the dice and rolled a 7, moving his piece to a blank square. Leandra then took the dice.

"Were you like this as a human?" Aiden asked.

At that Leandra stopped rattling the dice in her hand, "What do you mean?" she asked.

"I mean all childish, immature and an all around spoiled, rotten brat with no sense of human decency," said Aiden.

At that Leandra threw the dice down and glared irately at Aiden, "what do you know about who I was! I used to be a good girl. I did my homework and chores, I followed the rules. I was good," she looked thoughtful, "in fact, I was too good. I was always studying or doing my chores, or I was being a sweet little girl for my momma to show off at parties. I was her 'little darling,' always the charming little girl, always neat and pretty, always the good little girl who never had any real fun."

"Didn't you have any friends?" Aiden asked.

"Of course I had friends," said Leandra, "I had lots of friend," she then looked thoughtful again, and also a bit depressed, "but no real friends. They were all the kids of important families and I was never allowed so socialize with them, my momma wouldn't let me."

"Why?" Aiden asked, "why didn't your mother let you socialize or have any fun?"

"It's because she never really loved me!" snapped Leandra, "I was just a pet to her, an ornament to show off to the rest of high society. 'This is my darling little girl,' she would say at her parties, 'isn't she precious?' Well, I showed her who was precious!" she giggled, "oh, I showed her alright."

"What did you do to her?" Aiden asked cautiously.

"I turned her into a doll," said Leandra, "after mother Zerlina, my real mother, changed me, I discovered how to make people into my playthings, so I made my momma into a doll."

"Which one?" Aiden asked as he nervously looked at Leandra's doll collection.

"Oh, she's not here," said Leandra, she then giggled, "not anymore that is! I tossed her into a blender and rendered into little, itty bitty pieces, where she'll never show me off again!" she then giggled more loudly.

Without warning, Aiden slapped Leandra across the face, "what the hell's the matter with you! You killed your mother! You crazy vampire bitch, you killed your own mother!"

"She was not my mother!" snapped Leandra as she felt where Aiden slapped her, "she never was!"

"Oh yes she was," said Aiden, "she gave birth to you, raised you and loved you, you little, freaking psychopath!"

"She never loved me!" snapped Leandra, "and it's your move. Now pick up the dice and roll, or unless you wish to give up and let me make you my playmate forever."

"What are you talking about?" Aiden asked, "it's not my move. It's yours."

"What?" Leandra asked in a deflated tone, "oh, right, it is my move. Where are the dice?"

"Right where you dropped them," said Aiden as he pointed to the dice, both of which had landed with the '1' face up. "Snake eyes."

Leandra moved her piece two spaced forward and landed on a snake, sliding down to the seventh level.

"A minor setback," said Leandra in an annoyed tone, "I'm still ahead of you by a lot."

"There's an old saying that holds true on every world," said Aiden as he took the dice, "in every universe across time and space; 'it ain't over until it's over.'" he then rolled a 12 and moved to a blank space.

"You're right," said Leandra, "it ain't over, not for us, and certainly not for your friends. I know just what to do to them!" Her eyes glowed, "they're about to experience their worst nightmares come to life."

"What does that mean?" Aiden asked, even though he could guess.

"You'll find out," said Leandra.

* * *

"We've been walking through this corridor for like forever," said Sora, "where's the next game?"

"I don't know," said the vampire maid, "Ms. Leandra, she has a very active imagination and fickle moods. One minute she wants one thing, the next she wants something else, and Ms. Leandra always gets what she wants."

"No way, lady," said Danna, "no way that stupid, spoiled little girl is going to get away with this."

"We've dealt with people whom think that they can get away with whatever they want," said Kairi, "we've showed them that they can't."

"Well, Ms. Leandra can," said the vampire maid, "She's gotten away with turning the children of this world into dolls, and your friends as well. And she turned Aurora and Phillip into dolls too."

"What!" exclaimed both Sora and Kairi.

Kairi then summoned her Keyblade and held it up to the vampire maid's throat, "tell me you're lying or else!"

"I am not," said the vampire maid in a visibly nervous tone, "Ms. Leandra, she has a certain charm about her that allows her to approach the unwary and uninformed without them realizing that they are in danger. To an innocent, such as a child, Ms. Leandra appears as just another child.

"She then befriended the children of this world, masquerading as a kindred spirit, and when she has the child's trust, she turns the poor little brat into her toy."

"Is that what she did to Aurora and Phillip?" Sora asked, "befriended them, only to betray them when they least expected it?"

"Actually," said the vampire maid, "instead of approaching them as a friend, she came to the prince and princess as one in need of help. While touring the city, Aurora and Phillip saw what they thought was a lost child and offered to help her find her family. Ms. Leandra waited until she had the prince and princess alone from their escorts and turned them into dolls." She then smiled wickedly, "and they will be her toys forever."

At that Cassie punched the vampire maid in the face, causing the immortal creature to stagger back, while Cassie cried out in pain and clutched her hand.

"It's broken," said Kairi as she held Cassie's hand, "I can heal it soon enough."

"Good grief!" exclaimed Cassie as she glared at the immortal creature, "your face is like a rock!"

"Well duh!" said the Thrall, "I'm a vampire! You're just a mere mortal."

"I'm no mere mortal," said Cassie as Kairi, "I've got powers the likes of which would give you nightmares, Jessie Pallet."

At that the vampire maid blinked in shock, "what did you call me?" she asked.

"Jessie Pallet," said Cassie, "that's your name."

"How did you figure out her name?" Kairi asked.

"Some of her victims knew her," said Cassie, "the dead, the ones whom were killed for their blood, some of them were friends of Jessie in life. They knew her, so when she approached them in the middle of the night, they saw a friend. They didn't try to run until Jessie started to feed on them, by then it was too late of course"

"You're trying to confuse me," said the vampire maid, Jessie Parker, in a nervous tone, "You're messing with my head, get out of my head!"

"I don't have telepathy," said Cassie, "what I have is Deadspeak, which does what it says it does. I speak with the dead, and all those people you and your fellow thralls murdered for their blood, they're not happy with you at all.

"Well, some of them are happy right now. I mean, they're satisfied. The Thralls that we've been destroying, on this world and the others, now that they're dead, their victims are making the minds of the dead Thralls very miserable."

"How?" Kairi asked.

"By ignoring them," said Cassie, "being dead yet still existing can be very lonely. Since the beginning of time the minds of the dead each existed by themselves, until The Necroscopes arrived and helped the individual minds of The Great Majority discover each other.

"But the dead can choose not to talk to each other, especially those they don't like, and they hate Wamphyri with a vengeance. Wamphyri are the ultimate corruption of life. They consume the good and spit out evil. It's no wonder that they're so feared and hated by the living and the dearly departed."

"Stop it!" said the vampire maid, Jessie Pallet, "I…I'm not a monster!"

"But you are," said Guy.

"Oh just leave her alone," said Kairi, "can't you see how upset she is?"

"Can't _you _see how horrible _she _is?" Danna asked.

"It doesn't have to be that way," said Sora, "we've got Aiden's vaccine running through our systems."

"And the cure can be made into a vaccine," said Ben, "yes, yes! We can do it!"

"Do what?" Jessie Pallet asked.

"Turn you back into a human, of course," said Sora.

"Are you crazy or something?" Danna asked, "she's a freaking, murdering psychopath of a monster."

"Who's truly sorry for what she did," said Kairi. She then looked at Jessie Parker, "isn't that right?

"Oh, yes, I am sorry!" said Jessie Pallet in a frantic tone, "I'm sorry for killing so many people! I want to be human again! I want to run in the sunlight again! I want to live without the burning thirst for blood! I want to be normal again!" she then fell to her knees and started crying, "I wan to be normal!"

"You will be," said Kairi in a reassuring tone as she knelt down and placed a comforting hand on Jessie Pallet's shoulder.

But then a low buzzing sound could be heard, "what's that?" Sora asked.

Jessie Pallet looked up and saw something that the others couldn't see but terrified her, "no, not that! Anything but that!"

"What is it?" Kairi asked, "what's wrong?"

"Killer Bees!" exclaimed Jessie Pallet, "Killer Bees! Run for your lives!" she then screamed in utmost terror and ran down the corridor and vanished into a patch of sudden darkness.

"What killer bees?" Sora asked as he and the others looked around, "I don't see any killer bees?"

"It must have been an illusion," said Guy, "one that that vampire was really afraid of."

Just then they all heard Jessie Parker scream in terror and agony, followed by the sudden sound of a fire raging. The dark patch was lifted, revealing the smoldering remains of the vampire maid.

"What happened?" A shocked Kairi asked.

"Leandra's what happened," said an outraged Danna, "she used her mojo to scare Leandra to death. That's her game now! She's going to attack us with what we're truly afraid of!"

Just then Sora realized that they were no longer inside the corridor, but in a vast field somewhere, someplace that was utterly crawling with Heartless, Nobodies and demons.

"Oh man!" exclaimed Sora as he summoned his Keyblade, "this is too much!" He then attacked the approaching dark creatures, yet for every Heartless, Nobody and demon he destroyed, more and more showed up.

Sora then looked up and saw all of the worlds in the realms of light displayed in the sky. To his shock, he saw each world consumed by the darkness.

Sora then looked and saw his friends also fighting the dark creatures, yet one by one they were being overwhelmed. First Danna, then Ben, then Cassie, then Guy and finally, he saw Kairi being surrounded and destroyed by the enemies.

"NO!" exclaimed Sora as he dropped his Keyblade and fell to his knees in despair.

* * *

"What did you do to them!" Aiden demanded of Leandra as he watched the image of Sora on his knees in despair, still in the corridor, while at the same time, Kairi was curled up in a ball and crying, while Guy and Cassie were trashing about in agony, and Ben and Danna were comatose.

"I'm making them face their worst fears," said Leandra, "Sora's seeing everything he knows and love destroyed by darkness, as is Kairi, while the others are seeing their world overrun by vampires, but some of them are being devoured by vampires."

"You sick little bitch!" said Aiden, "you're so going to pay for this!" he then rolled a 10 and landed on a ladder that took him up to the middle of the ninth level, "I'm almost Home here, then you're going to pay for what you've done!"

"Not so fast!" said Leandra as she rolled an 8 that took her piece from the edge of the ninth level to the start of the tenth, "I'm still ahead of you by far."

"Not for much longer," said Aiden in a determined tone, "I'm in _the zone_."

"What zone?" Leandra asked.

"You know, _the zon_e," said Aiden, "that feeling you get when you're really into something, like a game or a anything else you're really into?"

"So what?" Leandra asked.

"So, I already told you that I won several Snakes and Ladder tournaments back home," said Aiden, "and every time I won, I was in _the zone_. It's like I'm blessed or something. Either way, I know I'm going to beat you." He then rolled a 12 and moved to a blank space.

"I can still win!" said Leandra as she rolled, the dice then landing on Snake Eyes again.

"You were saying?" Aiden asked as he rolled, the dice landing on 7, moving him to within striking distance of a ladder that would take him to a square on the tenth level ahead of Leandra.

"Maybe," said Leandra as she rolled a 12, moving to the spot just ahead of where Aiden was hoping to get to on his next turn.

"I know so," said Aiden as he rolled a 6, landing on the ladder and moving up to the tenth level just behind Leandra.

"Do you now?" Leandra asked, "but it won't make any difference. You're friends are doomed to drown in their own worst fears."

Just then King Mickey was beamed into the area where Sora and the others were, summoned and held up his gold Keyblade and cast a spell, one that caused all of our heroes to relax with relief.

"What the…!" exclaimed Leandra, "who's that little guy! How did he get there! What's he doing!"

Aiden smiled confidently, "that's The King, and he just saved my friends."

* * *

**…aboard _The Reliant Blade_…a few minutes ago…**

"We're almost at The Enchanted Dominion," said Aqua.

"I can hardly wait to stomp them vampires out!" said Goofy.

"You said it!" said Donald, "let's fry them up!"

"We're not there yet," said The King.

Just then an astral projection of Yen Sid appeared on the bridge.

"Master Yen Sid!" exclaimed King Mickey, Donald, Goofy and Aqua. They all then hastily bowed.

"Forgive me, my friends, for barging in," said Yen Sid in a worried tone, "but time is of the essence. Your majesty, Sora and his companions are walking into a dire situation." He then explained what was going on with our heroes.

"They're fighting a child-like vampire who likes really disturbing games," said Aqua.

"While Aiden's playing for his life and soul," said King Mickey.

"But what about that game they're about to be thrown into?" Goofy asked, "the one where they're going to be scared to death?"

"We won't let that happen!" said Donald.

"I'm afraid you will be too late to prevent them from being trapped in their fears," said Yen Sid, "but there is a spell that can set them free."

"Wait," said Aqua, "wouldn't it be better to let them face their fears? Wouldn't our interfering only make things worse?"

"Not in this case," said Yes Sid, "it's too complicated to explain right now, but least to say that this form of dark magic must be defeated as quickly as possible. Any delay would prove fatal."

"I understand," said King Mickey, "so what's the spell?"

A scroll then appeared in front of The King, "this is the necessary magic," said Yen Sid, "I would be there to cast it myself, but I am needed elsewhere."

"How'd you know all of this was happening?" Goofy asked as The King read the scroll.

"Visions, my friend," said Yen Sid, "a wizard sometimes have them."

"Yeah," said the king as he rolled up the scroll, "I think I've got this spell now," he looked at Donald and Goofy, "full speed ahead! We've got to get to Sora and the others!"

"Roger!" said both Donald and Goofy. The ship then accelerated to maximum hyperspace velocity. Within minutes the ship reached orbit around The Enchanted Dominion.

"I've got a fix on where Sora and the others are," said Aqua as she read the scanner.

"Beam me right to them!" said King Mickey, "I'll break the curse and help Sora save Aiden and the others. Come after us as soon as you can."

"Remind me why you have a Gummy Ship with a transporter that can only beam one person at a time?" Aqua asked as The King stepped onto the transporter pad.

"I'm not sure," said The King, "the improved engines and long range stores and power supply seemed like a better trade. Oh well, I'll pick out a better one later. Beam me down!"

"Energizing!" said Goofy as he pressed the button.

The King was then transported down to the underground corridor where Sora, Kairi, Ben, Danna, Cassie and Guy were trapped in their own worst nightmares.

King Mickey then summoned his golden Keyblade, held it up and said the spell, shattering the dark magic that imprisoned Sora and the others.

Our heroes sighed with relief and relaxed from their terrified positions. Sora was the first to open his eyes and saw The King, "your majesty?" he asked in a confused tone.

"It's okay now, Sora," said King Mickey as he helped Sora up, "you're alright now."

Kairi and Danna then recovered, "how did you know we were in trouble?" Kairi asked.

"A friend told me you needed help," said The King, "I wouldn't have meddled if I could have helped it, but there was no time for you guys to work your way out of your fears."

"So, we would have been fine by ourselves?" Guy asked as he, Ben and Danna recovered.

"It would have taken a while," said King Mickey, "but yeah, you would have been fine, but Aiden wouldn't be."

"Aiden!" said Sora, "we've got to get back to him!"

"We can't let that evil, little monster have her way with Aiden," said Danna. She then pulled out a crossbow bolt with a blue head and a red stripe and loaded it into her crossbow, "I'm going to shot this into her twisted black heart and make it explode!"

"Not if I don't cut her head off first!" said an outraged Kairi as she summoned her Keyblade.

"Let's get that little psychopath!" said Ben.

"You said it!" said The King. With that they all ran forward through the corridor.

* * *

"Looks like your world is about to crumble," said Aiden as they watched Sora, The King and the others run through the corridor.

"It's not over yet," said Leandra, "they can run all they like. It won't matter if I win our game first!"

"What do you mean?" Aiden asked.

"They got outside help with their game," said Leandra, "call it what you will, but to me, that's cheating, and therefore, are mine to deal with as I please. Just as soon as I win the game, all of you are mine forever!" she rolled the dice and moved her piece seven spaces forward. She was less than thirty squares from the Home square, while Aiden was still forty-seven spaces away from Home.

"Not if I win first," said Aiden as he rolled the dice, moving his piece twelve spaces forward and avoiding a Snake and just thirty five squares to go to Home.

"I'm still ahead of you," said Leandra, "your friends will be too late to save you and themselves! My minions will see to that!"

* * *

"Get out of the way, you vampire bastards!" shouted Guy as our heroes encountered the remaining Thrall butlers and maids under Leandra's command. The vampire servants had gathered in the corridor to delay Sora and the others.

Yet the thrall servants weren't doing a very good job, since Sora and the others basically eviscerated, vivisected, dissected and allover tore the vampire maids and butlers to pieces, with The King leaping over our heroes to slice the head off of the last butler with his gold Keyblade.

"Either we're getting stronger," said Kairi, while Sora used some Fire spells to burn the remains of the Thralls, "or they're getting weaker."

"More like Leandra's distracted," said Danna, "her hold on the Thralls are weaker than before, so they're distracted."

"Either way," said Sora, "the way seems clear for now, so let's hurry!"

"Haven't we been running?" Cassie asked.

"Then let's run faster!" said Sora.

They ran as hard as they all could and finally came to a door. Sora blasted it open with a Thunder spell and they all burst into the twisted playroom, just as Leandra moved her piece to within three squares of Home, while Aiden was still 13 squares from Home.

"Aiden!" shouted Sora.

"Guys!" said Aiden.

"Well," said Leandra, "you all made it through my games. Did you have fun?"

"You crazy little vampire bitch!" exclaimed Danna as she aimed her crossbow with the exploding bolt at Leandra's heart, "I'm going to render you into little pieces with my anger!"

"Not so fast!" said Leandra as she levitated the dolls that were Aurora and Phillip over to her. She then grabbed Aurora's head, "you try anything and the princess gets it!'

"Stay back, Sora!" said Aiden, "you and everyone! That doll is Aurora, and Leandra will destroy her if she's provoked."

"That's Aurora?" Sora asked in a shocked tone.

"And Phillip," said Kairi. She then glared at Leandra, "change them back! Now!"

"Stop yelling at me!" snapped Leandra, "or I'll break them both!"

"She'll do it," said Aiden, "just back off, everyone. I've got this."

"What are you talking about?" Ben asked, "are you still fixated on winning this stupid game?"

"Don't you insult Snakes and Ladders!" said Aiden, "I happen to like it," he then picked up the dice, "and I'm almost ready to win."

At that Leandra laughed cruelly, "you really are dumb! Even if you roll a 12, you'll still need another turn to get Home, and all I need is a 3 or higher on my next turn, and I'll win, and you'll be my playmate forever!

"But you did win in a way. This has been a game I'll never forget. We had so much fun, and we'll have so much more fun, once I've turned you into my immortal companion."

"I've still got a pulse," said Aiden as he rolled the dice, which came up 12. He moved his piece ahead of Leandra's and landing on the square just before Home.

"Now for my final turn!" said Leandra as she picked up the dice, "and the win!"

"This is bull crap!" said Cassie, "we can't let Aiden lose his humanity over a stupid game!"

"It's not stupid!" said both Aiden and Leandra.

"Good grief!" said an exasperated Danna as she aimed her crossbow again, "can I kill her now?"

"And risk losing Aurora and Phillip?" King Mickey asked.

"No one is going to die, not yet anyway," said Aiden, "Sora, Kairi, your majesty, everyone, please, just back off. I've got this, trust me."

"We do trust you, Aiden," said Kairi, "but look! She's about to win!"

"The odds are in her favor," said Guy, "she just needs a 3 to win."

"Let me kill her!" exclaimed Danna.

"No, I've got this!" said Aiden. He then looked at Leandra, "before you make your last move and take my humanity, can I ask you just one simple question?"

At that Leandra paused in indecision, thinking, before finally answering, "okay, you can ask me one thing, just one," she shook the dice in her hand, "then I roll and make you mine, and your friends will be mine as well."

"You've got one question, Aiden," said Guy, "one question to save your soul and our lives."

"You'd better make it count," said Danna as she adjusted her aim of her crossbow, switching from Leandra's heart to Aiden's, "or I'll kill you myself!"

"Thanks for your vote of confidence," said Aiden, "but I already know what I need to ask," he looked Leandra in the eyes, "you told me basically that you hated your mother, that she made you miserable. But be honest; are there any good memories of your mother? Or was she really the selfish bitch you've made her out to be?"

"Technically that's two questions," said Cassie.

"Shut up," said Ben, "I think Aiden may have struck a nerve."

Indeed, Leandra was left speechless as she pondered Aiden's question.

"What's the matter?" Aiden asked, "Cat got your tongue?"

"I don't have a cat," said Leandra in an unsure tone.

"Then answer the question," said Aiden.

"I…" said Leandra, "I…"

"Well?" Aiden asked.

"Shut up!" snapped Leandra, "I…I'm trying to think."

"I think we may have a chance," said King Mickey to Sora and the others in a hushed tone, "here's my plan. I'm going to send a message up to Aqua, Donald and Goofy, telling them to beam Aqua down to here. We'll attack Leandra head on, while Aqua moves from behind, where she'll get the Aurora and Phillip dolls to safety."

"Sounds like a winner to me," said Guy as he drew his knife.

"Wait," said Sora, "I think we should give Aiden a chance. I think he's on to something with Leandra."

"Now you've lost it," said Cassie, "I get it that Aiden is trying to appeal to Leandra's humanity, but she's evil through and through. Nothing Aiden does can change that."

"Leandra turned the children of this world into dolls," said Ben, "as well as the prince and princess."

"And our friends and comrades," said Danna, "and she's froze us. For crying out loud! I was _frozen _today!"

"So were we," said Kairi, "but Aiden deserves a chance to save this one person from the darkness."

"If anyone can restore a vampire's humanity," said Sora, "it's Aiden."

"Alright, you've convinced me," said Guy, "we'll give Aiden his chance."

"But if that little vampire tries to kill us instead," said Cassie, "she gets it."

"Right in her twisted heart," said Danna.

Finally, Leandra spoke to Aiden, "there was one good thing about my mother. She…always read to me. She always took the time to read me a bedtime story every night, no matter what her schedule had her doing, she would always read to me, one way or another."

"What do you mean?" Aiden asked, "and this is a continuation of my question."

"Well," said Leandra, "sometimes my mother would be away on business. But she was away, she would have a video chat and she would read to me through her computer and mine."

"So she wasn't such a selfish, uncaring witch," said Aiden.

"No, she wasn't," said Leandra in a distant, thoughtful tone, "and…there's more. She never did drag me to her parties. She never went to those kind of hoity-toity parties anyway. She…she was good, kind, she did love me."

At that Leandra's face fell into absolute despair, "oh god!" she then started crying, "she was my mommy! She loved me, and I killed her!" she then threw the dice onto the floor and smacked her piece off of the playing board, effectively forfeiting the game, her face falling into her hands as she sobbed in misery.

"No, I don't think you did," said Aiden as he crossed over to Leandra and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, "I've got a feeling that a lot of what you did was lies."

"Lies?" Leandra asked as she looked up to Aiden.

"Lies," said Aiden, "call it a hunch, but maybe you've been manipulated by Zerlina, more than just being turned into a vampire."

"It does make sense of sorts," said Guy.

"Zerlina has always been a manipulative bitch," said Cassie, "who's to say what she told to Leandra to mess up her mind?"

"We'll find out what's true and what's false soon enough," said Sora, "Naminé can fix Leandra's memories."

"Once she's been restored," said Kairi as she stood at the shelves where Roxas, Naminé, Riku, Tess, Reina, Rita and the other E-branch operatives sat like the dolls they had been turned into.

"Give Leandra a chance to calm down first," insisted Aiden as Leandra started crying even harder and flung her arms around him for comfort, and he hugged her back. "It's okay, you're going to be okay."

"I'll never be okay!" bawled Leandra, "I'm a murderer! I murdered my mommy!"

"I don't believe that," said Aiden, "sure, you've been twisted by the evils of Zerlina, but I refuse to believe that you could willingly kill your own mother, and my friend can find out the truth once and for all."

"Which friend?" Leandra asked as she began to calm down.

"That one," said Aiden as he pointed to the doll of Naminé, "you can change her and the others back, right?"

At that Leandra wiped her eyes and looked at Aiden as if he had just asked a very stupid question, "of course I can change them back," said Leandra, "I can change them back right now!" her eyes glowed and all the dolls of the children vanished, "there, I just sent them back to all their homes and restored them back to normal. And now I'll take care of your friends!"

Her eyes glowed and restored the rest of our heroes to normal. Riku, Tess, Roxas, Naminé, the twins and the rest of the E-Branch team blinked in confusion, then saw Sora and the others.

"Sora!" exclaimed Riku, Tess, Roxas and Naminé.

"Where is she!" exclaimed Rita, "where's that little undead bitch who turned me into a doll!"

"There she is!" shouted Reina as she pointed at Leandra, "let's tear her apart!" At that Leandra cringed in terror.

"You leave her alone!" said Aiden as he stood protectively in front of Leandra, while she held his arm as if it were a talisman that would keep her safe, "she just turned you back."

"Good, that means we can kill her now," said Rita as she cracked her knuckles.

"No, damn it! No!" said Aiden.

"He just broke through to Leandra's humanity," said Sora, "and she may have been manipulated by Zerlina."

"Zerlina?" Reina asked.

"There's a good chance that Leandra may be innocent of a great and terrible crime," said Kairi, "she just needs a chance to know the undisputed truth," she looked at Naminé, "that's were you get to work your magic."

"No way!" said Rita, "she's a Wamphyri Lieutenant! We should kill her!"

"You won't get any arguments from me," said Danna as she aimed her explosive crossbow bolt at Leandra's heart.

"You fire that thing and I'll zap you back!" said Aiden as he summoned his Keyblade, "human transmutation may be forbidden, but I can turn the air in your lungs into acid! Now leave her alone and let Naminé work on her!"

"Shouldn't we ask what Naminé wants to do?" Roxas asked, "She got turned into a doll as well."

"So was I," said Tess, "not a very pleasant experience, being a doll."

"Not being able to move at all," said Riku, "just sitting around with only your thoughts, but still aware of everything around you and be completely at someone else's mercy, not something I want to do again."

"Which is why the little monster should die!" exclaimed Rita.

"Can I kill her now? Danna asked, "my trigger finger is getting itchy."

"No!" cried Leandra, "I don't want to die!" she then clutched at Aiden more tightly, "don't let them kill me!"

"Nothing's going to happen to you, Leandra," said Aiden. He then glared at Danna and the others, "everyone, just shut the hell up already!" He then looked at Naminé, "you can talk if you wish, so long as you work your mojo on Leandra."

"Just try it, Naminé," said Kairi, "Leandra deserves the chance to regain her humanity."

"Well," said Naminé as she pulled out her sketchpad and pencils, "I'll try it."

"If you're willing to try," said Roxas, "than I'm all for it."

"So am I," said Riku.

"But if she tries anything," said Tess, "I'll cut her up, real nice."

"You're joking," said Danna to Naminé,

"No I am not," said Naminé. She then walked up to Leandra, "now, I'm just going to draw your portrait, that's all."

"You won't let them burn me, will you?" Leandra asked, "I…I don't want to die."

"Nothing's going to happen," said Aiden, "I promise. Now, just sit down and let Naminé work her magic."

Cautiously, Leandra sat down in her chair, while Naminé sat down at the other chair and began sketching.

"This is bull crap!" said one of the special ops as he scratched the back of his hand, "we should just burn the little monster!"

"She's already killed one of us!" said one of the espers, "she's guilty of that much, so why try to prove her other crimes false!"

"Wamphyri are Wamphyri," said Danna.

"She's also a little girl," said Aiden, "one who had her life and innocence stolen from her by a real monster. The truth must be told!"

"Okay," said Naminé as she finished sketching, "now," she then stood up and walked over to Leandra, "just hold still. This won't hurt a bit."

"Just keep your mouth shut, little vampire!" said Reina to Leandra.

"If we see just a millimeter of fangs, you're toast!" said Rita.

"She won't bite me," said Naminé. She then looked at Leandra, "now hold still!" she then touched Leandra's on the side of her head and sent a pulse of magic into her mind. Leandra gasped in shock and passed out.

"Leandra!" exclaimed Aiden as he rushed over and helped the little vampire up, "are you alright? Leandra!"

The young Wamphyri opened her eyes and looked at Aiden, "I…remember…"

"What do you remember, Leandra?" Kairi asked.

"No, not Leandra," said the little vampire, "my name…it's Lara Dunbar."

"Lara Dunbar?" Sora asked.

"Yes," said Lara in a more mature tone as she stood up. She her magic to summon a pair of glasses, put them on, then summoned a blue ribbon and used it to tie her hair back in a ponytail.

"I remember everything," said Leandra, now Lara Dunbar as she looked at our heroes, "You could say that I'm a magical prodigy. The women in my family have always been gifted magic users, especially my grandmother. She was a real genius who would have been the most powerful and wisest sorceress in all of the realms, if she hadn't been murdered when Maleficent took over Radiant Garden and drove my parents from the world when it fell into the darkness."

"Good gods!" said Aiden.

"In a nutshell," said Lara Dunbar, "yes."

"Sounds like you never had much of a childhood," said Riku.

"Oh, I did have one of sorts," said Lara Dunbar, "I was born after my parents fled the world and went into hiding. They love me very much and did all that they could so I could be happy, which wasn't easy living in exile on the far edge of the realms of light, always on the run from heartless and Nobodies. I didn't have many friends, so I spent most of my tine in the pursuit of knowledge. By my eighth birthday, I had completed several online college classes; I have multiple degrees in the sciences and arts.

"After Maleficent and the darkness was driven from Radiant Garden, my parents thought to bring me there so I could learn about my true roots. But then came the crisis with Organization XIII, followed by that whole mess with Gideon and the demons. To say that my parents were afraid for my safety would be an understatement. Even when things had finally calmed down in the realms, my mother and father still believed it to be too dangerous.

"But then six months ago my powers abruptly woke up, which shouldn't have happened for another two years, or at least until I turned eleven. It's rare for a magic user's powers to fully wake up before their eleventh birthday, at least in that's how it is in The Realms of Light, it's rare but it happens. My parents finally overcame their fears of danger and brought me to our real home, where I was to be made apprentice to Merlin."

"You were going to be Merlin's student?" Donald asked as he, Goofy and Aqua walked in.

"What kept you guys?" King Mickey asked.

"A micrometeorite hit the transporter sensor," said Aqua, "we had to land the ship."

"Sorry we're late," said Goofy.

"It's okay, guys," said Sora, "just glad to see you all."

"If I may continue my story," said Lara Dunbar, "before I could be introduced to the master wizard, Zerlina took me from my mother and father. I admit that I cannot remember exactly what happened next, but needless to say, I was bitten and made into one of Zerlina's Lieutenants; my magical potential made me an especially desirable edition to her despicable family.

"When I woke up as an immortal, I found I had complete mastery of my powers, as well as false memories and the personality of a sadistic, spoiled brat."

"That's Zerlina for you," said Reina, "she corrupts all that is good and true around her into something evil."

"What about Anton and Wan Chian-ti?" Riku asked.

"Anton was originally Alexander Winslow," said Lara, "a geneticist and long distance colleague of Professor Ludwig von Drake, whom had also been in exile from Radiant Garden. As for Wan Chian-ti, his real name was Han-po Chu, a scholar from The Land of Dragons whom was visiting the Radiant Garden castle library. Zerlina took them and twisted them to her own sick desires."

"But what does she want?" Kairi asked, "What could Zerlina possibly want?"

"Besides creating an army of vampires to rule all of creations and to destroy as many innocent lives as possible?" Rita asked.

"Zerlina does have a definite goal in mind," said Lara, "but all that she let my 'brothers' and I know was that we were to go out to the worlds, one after another, create as many Thralls and cause as much chaos, misery and above all, fear, as we could."

"She want's the realms of light to be consumed by fear," said Cassie, "well, she's got a lot of people scared alright, both alive and dead."

"Aren't we forgetting something?" Danna asked. She then pointed to the two remaining dolls in the room.

"Is that what I think they are?" Aqua asked as she looked at the dolls.

"Oh, right, sorry," said Lara, "I tend to be a bit absent minded every now and then," her eyes glowed and the two dolls resumed their normal forms of Aurora and Phillip.

The two blinked and looked around in confusion, then they saw each other. They ran and embraced and kissed passionately.

"I thought we would never hold each other again," said Phillip.

"I don't ever want to let go," said Aurora, "never ever."

"Glad to know that the two of you are doing just fine," said Aqua.

Both Aurora and Phillip looked, "Aqua?" Phillip asked, "is that you?"

"You haven't changed a bit," said Aurora.

"Well, I've been kind of out of things for a while," said Aqua.

"Before we go any further," said Lara. Her eyes glowed and all the twisted toys in the playroom vanished, then our heroes were teleported up to the surface. They all blinked in the sudden brightness, while a black umbrella had appeared in Lara's hands, shielding her from the sun. She then walked up to Aurora and Phillip, "I wish to offer my most sincere apologies for what I did to you and the children of this world. I…wasn't myself until just now. Believe me when I say that I have no ill will to anyone. I'm a pacifist at heart, honest."

"But you killed one of our comrades!" exclaimed Danna.

"And I'll regret it forever," said Lara in a remorseful tone, "I'm trapped in this body for all eternity, as are the memories of what I did."

"It doesn't have to be that way," said Aiden, "remember, we can use my blood to turn you back into human."

"You'd do that for me?" Lara asked, "honest?"

"Cross my heart and hope to die," said a smiling Aiden.

"Okay, time's up and our panel is stumped," said Reina, "why are you so adamant about helping this girl, Aiden?"

"She reminds me of someone I knew," said Aiden, "a friend I had when I was young. She died in an accident and for a time I blamed myself for not saving her."

"So now you have a chance to redeem yourself," said Rita.

"Sort of," said Aiden.

Just then the crystal ball that belonged to Leandra appeared, with Zerlina's red eyes glowing angrily in it, glaring at Lara.

"Traitor child!" exclaimed Zerlina, "you shall suffer for your transgression!"

"You're the one who'll suffer, bitch!" spat Reina, "we'll skin you alive and sew it back on inside out!"

"I'm going to hit you so hard," said Rita as she cracked her knuckles, "it'll shatter the space/time continuim and erase your entire bloodline from existence!"

"That will be a little redundant," said Zerlina, "since I've already destroyed all of my living, human, relatives."

"It's true," said Cassie, "Zerlina boasted of wiping out her entire human family once she had become a full Wamphyri Lady."

"I'll deal with you later," said Zerlina, "you, the twins and all of E-Branch. Right now I have a very naughty little girl to punish." She glared at Lara again, "Leandra, you've greatly disappointed your mother."

"You're not my mother!" shouted Lara, "you tore me from my real mother! She was kind and loving, unlike you, you horrible thing that should not be! And my name is Lara! Lara Dunbar!"

"You won't be for much longer," said Zerlina.

Just then Lara's umbrella vanished, exposing her to the intense rays of the sun. Immediately her skin began to blister and smoke, causing her to cry out in agony as she fell to the ground.

"We've got to cover her up!' shouted Sora. He saw a nearby piece of torn cloth that was big enough to cover Lara. But when he took the cloth over to Lara, he found himself blocked off from the little vampire.

"It's some kind of force barrier!" said Reina as she felt the invisible blockage.

"Zerlina's forcing us to keep away from Lara," said Riku, "she's making us watch her burn!"

"Behold the fate of those who betray me!" exclaimed Zerlina as Lara's skin was now covered with blisters and burns. "All those who defy my will shall suffer the torments of the damned!"

Just then the three fairies appeared, "not today, you evil, evil thing!" shouted Flora as she, Fauna and Merryweather aimed their wands at the force barrier and shot curse-breaking spells. The barrier began to fluctuate.

"No!" shouted Zerlina, "none shall prevent this admonishment!" From the crystal ball shot a wave of crimson energy that blasted the three fairies, causing the force field to stabilize.

"You're getting admonished, bitch!" said Rita as she summed her fire and blasted the crystal ball. Reina added her fire as well as between the two of them they caused the crystal ball began to crack.

"I should have killed you two when I had the chance!" said Zerlina as she sent out another pulse of crimson energy out, hitting the twins. "I should have made you into my immortal slaves outright instead of toying with you! But you'll suffer soon enough, you and all of your friends!"

"Oh shut up!" snapped Tess as she threw her Keyblade at the crystal ball, shattering it.

The force field around Lara vanished and Sora rushed to cover her from the sun. he and Aiden then pulled Lara to a nearby shaded area. To our heroes shock, nearly all of Lara's body was covered in second and third degree burns.

"Oh, this is bad," said Kairi as she quickly knelt down and tried to heal Lara, but her powers had the opposite effect of accelerating the burn damage, "this is very bad."

"Healing magic only hurts the undead," said a shocked Naminé.

"I thought that only applied to fantasy roll playing games," said Sora.

"Well, it's real alright," said Danna, "Lara…she's dieing. I can sense her undead signature fading. She's got minutes at most."

"No," moaned Lara, "I don't want to die! I wanna go home! I want my mommy and daddy!"

"It can't end like this," said Tess, "not after Aiden saved her soul."

Sora vaguely saw one of the special ops, the one whom had been scratching his hand, anxiously twitch. But then Sora had a crazy and brilliant idea, "that's it! Our blood!"

"Our blood?" Tess asked.

"Our blood, yes!" said Guy, "us, the ones who took Aiden's vaccine!"

"Our blood can cure Lara," said Aiden, "or rather, my blood."

"Wait, are you…you are!" exclaimed Rita, "you're going to let that thing feed on you!"

"If it can save Lara, then yes," said Aiden as he rolled up his sleeve. "There's no time to argue. If she doesn't get the vaccinated blood now, she's gone for good."

"Aiden's already immune to the Wamphyri pathogen," said Cassie, "he'll be safe."

"But why does it have to be him?" Rita asked in a frantic tone. She looked at Aiden with worried eyes, "why do you have to be the hero so much?"

"Why?" Aiden asked, "because I can." he then held his arm out to Lara, "you've got to drink my blood, Lara. It's your only chance. Don't argue with me, just do it!"

Lara looked at Aiden with confused eyes. On one hand her vampire nature was driving her to drink the blood to satisfy her desires, while her awakened humanity was telling her to avoid the blood at all cost. And then there was her survival instinct, telling her to do what she had to do to stay alive.

Lara chose the third option; she grabbed Aiden's arm and bit into his wrist, her fangs piercing his veins and she drank deeply. Our heroes could only watch as Aiden cried out in pain from the bite and from having his life blood drained from him. But after about ten seconds, Leandra released Aiden, having drunk at least two pints of blood from him.

Aiden, his face pale from the sudden blood loss and drop of blood pressure, passed out but was caught by Rita before he hit the ground. Sora and the others then watched in amazement as Lara's body changed. Her burns completely healed and her skin darkened to a medium tone, while her hair darkened to a chestnut brown and became less curly. The most drastic change occurred in her eyes, shifting from blood red to sea green. She then vomited up the red leach that was the real vampire, which Sora blasted with a fireball, incinerating it.

"That's that," said Ben

"Are you alright?" Kairi asked Lara.

Sora and Riku helped Lara stand up, whom seemed none the worse for wear, "I…I feel alright," said Lara in an uncertain tone, "I'm pretty much back to the way I was before, without full control of my magic, which suits me fine. Now, if I can just get out of this fru fru outfit," she indicated her dress, "if someone can find me a T-shirt, a pair of jeans and some sneakers, I'll be more than alright. But what about Aiden?"

"He just needs rest," said the King as he forced a Mega-potion down Aiden's throat, while Kairi healed his bitten wrist.

"I'm not picking up any sign of the Wamphyri pathogen in Aiden," said Danna, "nor am I sensing anything from Lara. She's human."

"Are you absolutely sure?" Cassie asked.

"Only one way to find out," said Lara. Cautiously, she stepped out into the daylight and smiled, raising her arms up as if to embrace the sun.

"So my antidote works both ways," said Aiden in a groggy tone.

Just then Sora and the others heard a bloodcurdling scream from one of the espers, which was cut short as one of the special ops, the one Sora had noticed was acting very anxious, leapt on the esper and bit her in the throat, ripping out her windpipe with razor-sharp fangs, while clawing at her head with razor-sharp claws, his eyes burning red.

He released the dieing esper, then turned on his fellow special ops, ripping his comrade's windpipe out before anyone could react.

Finally, Ben, Guy and Cassie pulled themselves together. Ben and Cassie fired their crossbows, but the special ops guy jumped away, then leapt at Guy, tackling him to the ground and reached for his throat.

But then Danna fired her crossbow, the bolt hitting the special ops in the heart and knocking him to the ground.

"Get out of the way, Guy!" shouted Danna. Guy scurried away from the crippled special ops, just as the bolt exploded, splattering his remains across the pavement.

"What the hell just happened?" a shocked Tess asked.

"That guy, he was a vampire," said Riku.

"His name was Sam Corvis," said Cassie, "he was a Navy SEAL before joining E-Branch, and now he's a Wamphyri."

"That's impossible," said Kairi, "he was in the sunlight with the rest of us just now. He wasn't bitten, at least I don't think so."

"He was scratching his hand and acting really weird," said Sora, "but I didn't see him get bitten either."

"Biting isn't the only way Wamphyri spread their plague," said Cassie in a distant tone, "I hear him, Sam Corvis, he was splashed by a single drop of Wan Chian-ti's 'elixir of unlife,' back on Dwarf Woodlands. He was afraid to tell us, that we would put him down rather than risk him infecting us. He was also hoping that, since he only got a small drop of the potion on him, he wouldn't change, and also that Aiden's antidote would help."

"He should have told us," said Sora, "I would have given him my share of the antidote."

"He was stubborn, Sam," said Cassie, "always stubborn and quiet."

"But how did he change so quickly if it was going so slow before?" Reina asked.

"Do you really have to ask?" Rita asked, "Zerlina."

"She saw it all," said Cassie, "After Aiden gave Lara his blood, Zerlina extended her will onto Sam. He was still nearly all human, but had enough of the pathogen in him to make him susceptible to Zerkina's dark powers. She accelerated the change and took over his mind, forcing him to try to murder us. It was a message, from Zerlina, that we have no chance against her."

"The hell we don't!" said Aiden as he stood up, "and how do you know all of this?"

"I can hear Sam's mind," said Cassie, "he was freed from Zerlina's control when he died, and speaking of which, we'd better burn the bodies, just to be safe."

"On it," said Rita as she and Reina used their fire to dispose of the bodies.

"To continue," said Cassie, "now that Sam has passed on, he's free, and he's begging for our forgiveness."

"Tell him we don't blame him for what he did," said Sora.

"We're annoyed that he didn't tell us that he had a problem, though," said Kairi.

"He knows now," said Cassie, "and the ones he just killed, Jessie Hall and Xavier Avery, they forgive him," she smiled, "the other dead of this world, they're welcoming the newcomers."

"So they're okay being dead?" Sora asked.

"No one is okay with death," said Cassie, "not at first. But the shock fades in time, and for the dead, for The Great Majority, time is what they have the most of."

"At least they're okay," said Kairi, "but now…"

"Now we seek to end this," said Guy. He looked at Lara, "where is Zerlina?"

"Radiant Garden," said Lara, "deep underground, far away from the sun, in a chamber capable of holding tens of thousands of Thralls, and her army is growing."

"That's not possible," said Riku, "we've only fought a few hundred Thralls, and we've destroyed them all."

"I've seen her army," said Lara, "she brought them with her from another world, she didn't say which."

"It doesn't make sense," said Reina, "Zerlina escaped from our world only a few months ago. How could she have made such a huge army so quickly?"

"Who's to say that Zerlina's from our world?" Rita asked in a thoughtful tone, "for all we know, she's been traveling from world to world, ruining lives and building an undead army."

"Then we've got to finish this," said The King, "now, before Zerlina spreads her evil elsewhere in the realms."

"Then let's go," said Sora. He then looked at Aurora, Phillip and the three fairies, "sorry to have to leave so soon, but…"

"Go, Sora," said Aurora, "save the realms."

"Now that our prince and princess are safe and sound," said Merryweather, "our world and its people are safe."

"And sound," said Fauna.

"Before you go," said Flora, "we'd like you all to have these," she, Fauna and Merryweather then cast a spell that created a small gold pin, about the size of a coin, engraved with the image of two hands shaking. There was one pin for each of our heroes and allies.

"These tokens symbolize your bond of friendship," said Fauna, "wear them, as a reminder of your experiences here in the realms, for friendship is the greatest and most precious of all things in life."

"We'll remember," said Sora, while the others nodded in agreement."

* * *

A short time later Sora, Riku, Kairi, Aiden, Tess, Roxas, Namine, the twins, Guy, Cassie, Ben, Danna and Lara were aboard _The Star Child_, while The King, Donald and Goofy were back on _The Reliant Blade_. Both ships were in orbit, preparing to jump to hyperspace.

"How are you reading us now, Sora?" King Mickey asked,

"Loud and clear, your majesty," said Sora.

"At least the interference has cleared up," said Aqua, "that's one good thing."

"Then we'd better call ahead," said Riku, "Leon, Yuffie and the others on Radiant Garden, they don't know that they've got a horde of vampires underneath them."

"Let's just hope that they've got their ears on," said King Mickey.

* * *

**…Outside Merlin's House…Radiant Garden…**

"So we'll set up the administration building near The Crystal Gorge," said Leon to Quistis, "with the subsequent training buildings and dorms around it."

"It's a good location," said Quistis, "far enough away from the local population to reduce the risk of civilians poking their noses where they don't belong, yet close enough for an easy access to supplies and for students to relax and go shopping on weekends, that's important."

"They've finally agreed on something," said an impressed Aerith.

"About time," said Yuffie.

"And how," said Cid, "now I can get back to work."

Just then Merlin popped in, "ah, dear friends, how are you all?"

"A little upset that you jeep doing that!" said Yuffie.

"You keep scaring us, Merlin," said Leon, "it's getting old."

"Well, a wizard isn't a wizard without his peculiarities," said Merlin.

Just then came a beeping sound from Cid's pocket, which turned out to be originating from a PDA, "we're getting a message, from The King and Sora," said Cid, "it's a Code 1!"

"That's an emergency code," said Leon. With that they all ran inside and Cid activated the large computer terminal.

"Sora!" said Cid as he activated the computer, "we're getting your signal, what's the big emergency?"

"Cid," said Sora, "we've got a big problem."

"With a capital P," said King Mickey, "which rimes with V and that stands for vampires!"

"Vampires?" Aerith asked.

"Wamphyri to be exact," said Sora. With that he, The King and the others explained to Leon, Cid, Yuffie, Aerith, Merlin and Quistis the situation, as well as introducing them to Reina, Rita, and the rest from E-Branch.

"So there's this big horde of vampires beneath the city?" Yuffie asked.

"And the mother of them all, Zerlina," said Rita, "and when I mean mother, I mean a mean mother-fraker."

"There's thousands of Thralls down there," said Reina, "tens of thousands, all of them obedient to Zerlina's every command."

"We're done for then," said a horrified Aerith, "how can we fight against so many vampires?"

"That's what we're here to do," said Sora, "we'll be there as soon as we can."

"But until then," said Kairi, "Leon, you and the others have to keep everyone from going down to find Zerlina's lair. Wait until we arrive."

"I understand, Sora," said Leon.

"One thing, Sora," said Merlin, "is there a Lara Dunbar among you?"

"Here, sir," said Lara, "I'm Lara Dunbar. I was supposed to be your apprentice, but Zerlina had other ideas."

"That's all water under the bridge, my dear," said Merlin, "by now you've been freed of the vampire plague and are ready to begin your studies."

"I look forward to it, sir," said Lara.

"We'll be there in a few hours, Leon," said Sora, "hold the fort until then!"

"We'll be waiting," said Leon. With that the com line ended.

"Well, Squall," said Quistis, "this is quite the sticky situation we're in."

"Don't try to make light of this situation," said Leon, "we're in enough trouble as it is."

"I'm not trying to make fun of things!" said Quistis, "I'm saying that I'm here to help!" she then pulled out her whip, "I'm doing this not just as a SeeD agent, not just as your friend and former teacher, but as a human being prepared to fight the ultimate evil in defense of humanity. If you've got a problem with that, then too bad, I'm helping whether you like it or not, Squall."

At that Leon smiled, "I never doubted your determination, Quistis," said Leon, "just stop calling me Squall."

"Sorry, that's the one thing I can't do," said a grinning Quistis.

Just then Aerith looked around in shock, "where's Yuffie?"

"What?" Leon asked. He and the others looked around, but Yuffie was gone.

"You don't think…?" Cid asked.

"That Yuffie would go off by herself to fight the Wamphyri?" Quistis asked, "is she that insane and stupid?"

"You don't know Yuffie like I do," said Leon, "she's gone to fight Zerlina. We've got to go after her! It's suicide to try and take on all those vampires alone!"

* * *

As Yuffie made her way underground, searching for any sign of the Wamphyri, she had no idea that she was being watched by a creature most foul.

* * *

In a chamber lit by blue torches, hundreds of feet below the surface, stood Zerlina, whom appeared to be a an exceptionally beautiful Caucasian woman in her early 20's with long black hair and pale skin, wearing a black dress that accented her highly sensual figure, with a black crystal in a gold setting attached to a finely woven gold chain around her neck, observed Yuffie's underground trek via a crystal ball. The Wamphyri Lady watched Yuffie with her blood red eyes that gleamed with desire.

"Yes, come and find me, little one," said Zerlina as she reached out to touch the crystal ball, her immaculately manicured hands caressing the image of Yuffie, "you are more than welcome. You are the one, the one I have been waiting for so long to be my true heir. Soon, Yuffie, soon you shall be my true daughter."

**The end of chapter 8**

Next chapter finds our heroes and allies returning to Radiant Garden for the final battle against Zerlina. Reviews will be rewarded with cake and pie. See you next time!


	9. Chapter 9: Lair of Nightmares

Last time Aiden continuing to battle the insidious child sorceress Wamphyri, Leandra, for the lives and souls of himself and his friends, while Sora and the others competed against the local Thralls in games where the vampires cheated, a lot. One thing lead to another, resulting in Aiden forcing Leandra to unearth her repressed humanity. It turns out her real name is Lara Dunbar, a magical prodigy that was corrupted by Zerlina. To make a long story short, Lara used her power to restore all those she turned into dolls, which included the children of The Enchanted Domain, Aurora and Phillip and the rest of our heroes and allies. Aiden used his blood to turn Lara back into a human, but then Zerlina turned one of the E-Branch operatives into a Thrall, who then destroyed the other espers and special ops, before being destroyed himself, leaving only Cassie, Guy, Ben, Danna and the twins left to go with our heroes to Radiant Garden, where Zerlina lay in wait. Meanwhile, Leon and the others on Radiant Garden were warned that there was a Wamphyri nest beneath them, and naturally, Yuffie took off on her own to fight Zerlina, unaware that Zerlina is avidly waiting for her. 'Nuff said, on with the show!

**Chapter 9: Lair of Nightmares**

"I'm so ready for this," said Rita as she did pushups on the bridge floor, "the final clash against Zerlina. We're going to finally make that bitch pay for what she did to us! And everything else."

"All the pain and humiliation," said Reina as she sat in a meditation pose, "it's all coming together."

"You do realize that the more you hate her, the worse it'll be," said Riku.

"Hate and anger will only lead to more pain and suffering," said Kairi.

"Especially when the enemy in question is a vampire," said Aiden.

"I'm more concerned with stopping Zerlina before she hurts anyone else," said Sora.

"Same with us," said Tess, while Guy, Cassie, Ben and Danna nodded in agreement.

"Well, we're going to make sure that Zerlina gets what's coming to her," said Reina.

"I figured we'd start with skinning her alive," said Rita, "followed by dousing her with salt. Then there's the cattle prods and a cat of nine tails, if we can get one."

"I can probably make one if necessary," said Reina.

"Alright, that does it!" said Riku, "this has gone on enough."

"We know that you have a grudge against Zerlina," said Kairi, "but this goes way beyond payback for humiliation and betrayal. She did something totally unforgivable to you, so what is it?"

"You know everything there is to know," said Reina.

"She made us look like fools in front of everyone," said Rita, "she betrayed us, and now she's going to suffer."

"Are you sure you're not holding back?" Aiden asked. He looked at Guy and Cassie, "are they?"

"Not as far as we know," said Cassie.

"Then again," said Guy, "the twins were the only ones to confront Zerlina before she vanished on our world, so only they know what really happened."

"We already told you everything that you need to know," said Rita.

"I'm not convinced," said Kairi, "you two are hiding something."

"I don't know," said Naminé, "maybe it's not that they are hiding something because the choose to, but because they simply don't remember."

"What are you saying?" Reina asked, "that our memories were messed up again?"

"By Zerlina," said Rita in a thoughtful tone, "you don't suppose…?"

"That she was the one who stole our memories in the first place?" Rita asked in a more angry tone, "that her betrayal was part of a bigger plan against us? If that's the case, we owe her so much more."

"We'll find out the truth soon enough," said Aiden, "we're approaching Radiant Garden."

"Home sweet home," said Kairi as our heroes and allies clustered around the view screen, which showed the approaching planet.

"This is where you were from?" Cassie asked.

"I only remember bits and pieces of it," said Kairi, "mostly moments with my grandmother, and of course the day that Aqua saved my life. But other than that, nothing."

"I wasn't even born here," said Lara as she walked onto the bridge, now wearing a green shirt with a blue hoodie jacket and blue jeans and tennis shoes, "but my mother and father told me everything there was about it in the old days. It was a world of beauty, science and art, and magic of course."

She walked up to the view screen, "when my family and I arrived here, when my parents finally returned, they said that everything had changed from what they remembered, but it was still home for them. But for me, it's just where I'm now going to school," she sighed, "I probably have a mountain of missed homework waiting for me."

"I don't think Merlin assigns homework," said Sora, "he's not that kind of teacher."

Just then everyone heard and saw Danna cry out in pain and fall to her knees, clutching her head.

"What's wrong?" Ben asked as our heroes clustered around Danna, "what's happening to her?"

"Give the poor girl some air!" shouted Guy. At that everyone baked away from Danna. Kairi and Tess then helped Danna up.

"I'm alright," said a very disoriented Danna, although our heroes could tell that she was still in great pain.

"That must have been one serious headache," said Aiden.

"It's no headache," said Danna in a fearful tone, "it's Zerlina…I can sense her power."

"All the way in space?" Riku asked, "we're still hundreds of thousands of kilometers away from Radiant Garden."

"It's Zerlina alright," said Danna, "I sensed her before, on our world, but she was just another Wamphyri Lord then. But now, now she's putting out more power than all the vampires we've fought put together."

"That means…" said Sora.

"It means we're in for a world of hurt," said Danna. "We really need to rethink this, everyone. If we try to go against Zerlina…"

"And the hundreds of Thralls she's got in her chamber," said Lara, "let's not forget them."

"I forgot about those," said Danna, "which only makes things worse. Regardless, if we try to fight Zerlina and her army, we'd be resigning to a suicide mission."

"I refuse to believe that!" said Rita, "we've come so far, we can't give up now."

"We just can't walk away from this," said Reina, "not when we're so close to finishing it."

"Is your hatred of Zerlina so great that it's blinding you to reality?" Danna asked, "my ability has never been wrong. Zerlina's too powerful! We'll die if we fight her!"

"No!" said Rita, "she's the one who's going to die!"

"Oh for the love of the gods!" exclaimed Aiden, "will you listen to yourself? You sound like you've got a death wish."

"No I don't," said Rita as she stubbornly crossed her arms.

"Yes you do," said Aiden, "you do have a death wish, you and your sister. You're eagerness to blindly run into the jaws of death without a plan is proof that you have no regard for your own lives, and for our lives as well."

"That's bull crap!" spat Reina, "we do care about you guys, and ourselves."

"Then prove it," said Aiden as he stubbornly crossed his arms, "let's just sit down and think of a way to defeat this evil, without getting all of us killed in the process."

"We'll save the _kamakaze _attack as a last resort," said Riku, "but first, let's try out every available option."

At that Reina and Rita looked at each other in silent conversation, using their telepathy to talk among themselves.

_:They're certainly stubborn,: _said Reina.

_:So are we,: _said Rita, _:but that doesn't make them wrong. We have been acting like idiots.:_

_:But not stupid enough to forgive Zerlina for what she did,:_ said Reina, _:a million deaths will never be enough for her.:_

_:I'll just settle for one,:_ said Rita, _:but our friends are right, getting ourselves killed won't force Zerlina to face justice, so now let's work on figuring out how to win this so we can all go home.:_

_:Right,: _said Reina. She and her sister then looked at Sora and the others, "okay, let's plan something."

"Okay then," said Aiden, "we need to know everything about Zerlina."

"You already know most of it," said Reina, "she's very charismatic, and smart."

"She treats the vampires she makes as her children," said Rita, "she sees herself as this great mother."

"What about her Wamphyri powers?" Riku asked.

"She's definitely stronger and faster than your average vampire," said Rita, "and tougher. We thought we had killed her before, but something's happened to have made her stronger."

"A lot stronger," said Danna.

"Maybe she was this strong the whole time," said Tess, "maybe on your world she had suppressed her powers so as not to be noticed."

"It's true," said Danna, "I had no idea that Zerlina was Wamphyri until after she was exposed as a monster. She has been able to hide her powers, and boy was she holding back. It's going to take more than what we have in order to even have a chance of destroying her, not to mention getting past the hordes of Thralls she has at her command."

"It won't be just you guys," said King Mickey over the radio, "we've been listening and just so you'll know, we're with you, all the way."

"Just try and stop us!" said Donald.

"We'll show them vampires who's boss!" said Goofy.

"You've got us with you, Sora," said Aqua, "and Ansem is down there. I'm sure he'll think of a solution."

"And Leon's there too!" said Sora, "and Yuffie. I'm sure they'll want to help us slay some vampires."

"Then let's get down there and start slaying!" said Donald.

"We're not there yet," said Riku, "we've got to wait at least an hour before we can land. There's a high level of traffic at the space port. We're stuck in a parking orbit until we receive clearance."

"At least an hour," said Sora, "okay. We should all use this hour to rest up, we're going to need it."

"I'm too wired to sleep," said Tess.

"Me neither," said Ben.

"Zerlina's vibes are keeping me stressed out," said Danna.

"Try anyway," said Kairi.

"I'll put the ship on autopilot," said Riku, "and I'll keep watch if there's trouble. Everyone else should try to rest up."

With that our heroes returned to their quarters and tried to sleep, yet all of them were too anxious about the coming battle, especially Aiden. He tossed and turned in his bed, trying to calm down, but to no avail. He went over the various alchemic formulas in his head, yet he couldn't focus.

But then someone knocked on his door, "it's open," he said.

The door opened and there stood Rita, "hey," she said in a slightly unsure tone, "can we talk?"

"Uh, sure," said Aiden as he sat up, "come on in. What do you want to talk about?"

"Well," said Rita as she walked in, "I just want to say thanks for what you said to me and Reina. You were right to talk us down from our high horse. We do kinda get ahead of ourselves and don't fully think things through all the time, especially when Zerlina's involved."

"I'll bet," said Aiden, "what exactly did she do to you that made you and Reina hate her so much? Besides betraying your friendship?"

At that Rita hesitated, before taking out her locket, "I wasn't always a man hating bitch," she said as she gripped the locket, "in case you and the others haven't realized it by now, my sister and I have a much…closer relationship than other sisters do."

"You mean you're lovers," said Aiden, "it's okay. If you are both comfortable with that level of intimacy, then you should enjoy it to the fullest."

"We do," said Rita, "as much as we can. But in terms of men, Reina will go out with any guy she likes, and if she really likes him, I mean really likes him, she'll screw his brains out. But with me, I do like men, but not any men.

"What really pisses me off are men with more muscles than brains who see women as only pleasure objects. What I want in a man is kindness, generosity, intelligence, and most of all, someone who likes me for me, not just because I'm a smoking hot tomboy."

"Well," said Aiden, "I can honestly say that I respect every inch of you, in mind, body and heart. You've smart, funny and courageous, you're a strong and passionate fighter and you know what, I kinda find your tomboy look kinda sexy."

"You do?" Rita asked in a surprised tone. She then glared at Aiden irately, "what do you mean my tomboy look?"

"Well," said Aiden, "I had a very bad experience with another tomboy," he then told Rita about The Tournament of Light, focusing on Akane Tendo, "that girl was one of the most irrational, irresponsible and downright mean girls I've ever known. Even if she hadn't fallen for Ursula's dark contract and given up her heart, she would have eventually gotten herself killed or worse become another Heartless on her own. Fortunately my friends and I were there to pull her back into the light, that an the offer of free Hannah Montana tickets."

"I'll have to look into Hannah Montana when we get back home," said Rita, "she's popular on our world, but my sister and I haven't had time to listen to much music lately," she then looked at Aiden, "but that's not what I wanted to talk to you about. Aiden Mackenzie, I…I like you, really like you."

"I really like you too, Rita," said Aiden. The two of them leaned closer, their eyes closed as their lips touched. They kissed, then kissed more passionately as the embraced. But then Rita pushed herself away from Aiden hastily.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"This is wrong," said Rita in an upset tone, "it's not that I don't like you, I just said I did. I…I just can't!" she gripped the locket tighter, "and it's all Zerlina's fault!"

"What did she do?" Aiden asked, "please, tell me."

"Tell her, Rita," said Reina as she stood at the door, "he deserves to now the truth."

"Isn't it rude to spy on people when they're trying to have an intimate moment?" Rita asked in an annoyed tone.

"It's also rude to keep secrets," said Reina, "we've kept this one for too long," she looked at Aiden, "there was a man that Rita liked, back on our adopted world. They dated and were happy. But then Zerlina came in and not only did she seduce Rita's boyfriend, she also turned him into a Thrall."

"No way," said a shocked Aiden.

"It's true," said Rita as she handed the locket to Aiden, "my boyfriend gave me that. It's still empty, we were going to put our picture in it, but then that bitch, that vampire whore Zerlina, she stole him from me, screwed him and turned him into her undead sex toy. Then she made him try to kill me, but I put him down. That was the first Wamphyri I vanquished, my old boyfriend, and I haven't been able to be with another man since."

She then glared at Aiden, "Well, aren't you going to say how sorry you are for me? That you pity me?"

"I am sorry for you," said Aiden, "sorry that Zerlina made life so difficult for you. What she did was monstrous and unforgivable, and when the time comes, she'll pay so much she'll have to file for spiritual bankruptcy."

At that Rita laughed happily, "that's a good one, can I use it later?"

"Definitely," said Aiden.

"It's so wonderful to see you actually getting along with a boy again," said Reina.

"Do you mind?" an annoyed Rita asked, "I'm trying to get over my anxieties here, so go bugger someone else on this ship."

"Who else is there for me here?" Reina asked, "Sora has Kairi, Riku has Tess, Roxas has Naminé, Ben has Danna and even Guy has Cassie, and don't look at me like that, sister of mine. I know Cassie swings both ways, but you have to be blind to not see that she and Guy have chemistry between them."

"I already figured as much," said Rita.

"If I could get a word in edgewise," said Aiden, "I'm attracted to the both of you. Call me selfish, call me perverted, but if you two would have me, I'd definitely date you both at the same time."

"You're kidding," said both Rein and Rita.

"No I'm not," said Aiden, "what? Am I not good enough for you both?"

"It's not that," said Reina, "I'm flattered that you want both me and Rita, but…"

"But what?" Rita asked, "he's cute and he's got a brain, and he knows how to use it."

"That's not the part of him I'm concerned about him knowing how to use," said Reina.

"Are you saying I'm not man enough for the both of you?" a highly offended Aiden asked.

"Well, more or less," said Reina, "I mean, my sister and I, we're 19, I think. We really can't remember when our birthday is."

"Which totally sucks," said Rita, "but Reina has a point. It's not that I don't want you, Aiden, but seriously, you're…how old are you? Fourteen? Fifteen?"

"I'm fifteen and a half," said Aiden, "just give me the chance, ladies, and I'll prove that I'm man enough for both of you."

"I'm not doubting your manhood," said Rita, "it's just…it's still too soon for me."

"And if she's not ready, than I'm not ready," said Reina, "if you want the both of us, Aiden, you'll have to wait."

At that Aiden sighed, but smiled, "if that's what you want, then I'll wait. Whenever you're ready, I'm just a portal jump away, I promise."

"It's a date," said both Reina and Rita. They then left Aiden's room, leaving Aiden a bit disappointed, but hopeful for what he thought would be the greatest and most passionate relationship he would ever have.

* * *

**...Radiant Garden...**

After waiting for over two hours, _The Star Child _finally received landing clearance and flew down to the space port near the Reconstruction Site. As they exited the ships, they had to help Danna, whom had lost her balance and almost fell to the ground, a few drops of blood falling from her nose.

"It's worse down here," said Danna in a shaky tone, "I'm sensing Zerlina more clearly. Her power, it's incredible, and terrifying."

"We need to get her someplace safe," said Ben, "somewhere she isn't overwhelmed by the enemy."

"I'm alright," said Danna as she stood up and pushed herself away from Kairi and Tess, while wiping the blood from her nose with her sleeve, "I just need a moment."

"Are you sure you're alright?" Guy asked, "we can go on without you if you're not up to it."

"The day I cannot fulfill my aspect of the mission," said Danna in an annoyed tone, "is the day I retire. You need me for this, so I'm in it to the finish. Besides, too many of my friends and comrades have paid the ultimate price in order for the rest of us to get here."

"We've all lost friends," said Cassie, "far too many."

"And there's the chance that more of us will die," said Guy, "but we all knew that we'd end up buying the farm. We face that possibility every day we're alive, but it's worth it."

"I never said that I wanted to die," said Danna, "I'm saying that I'm willing to do what has to be done, so let's do it already."

They made their way to the Restoration Site, past the Bailey and into the Borough, where Aerith and Cid were already waiting for our heroes, as well as two other individuals, a man and a woman in their mid 30's. The man had Lara's eyes behind similar glasses, while the woman looked like an older version of Lara.

The restored girl ran forward, tears streaming from her eyes and she embraced her parents, whom lovingly hugged her back.

"So you guys really did it," said Cid as he and Aerith met up with Sora and the others, "saved that little girl from the undead."

"It wasn't easy," said Aiden, "but worth it."

"I'm just glad that little girl has her happy ending," said Aerith, "we're in need of the same right now."

"Why?" Sora asked, "Aerith, what's wrong?"

"And where's Leon and Yuffie?" Kairi asked.

"I'm curious as to that myself," said Ansem as he walked up.

"Did you take care of your errand, Ansem?" King Mickey asked.

"Indeed I did, your majesty," said Ansem, "however, it would seem that what I had to take care of has been eclipsed by a greater crisis."

Just then Merlin teleported in, "we do have a dire situation on our hands, but it can wait," he then walked up to Lara, "my dear Lara Dunbar, we meet at last." He and Lara then shook hands, "you've been on quite the horrific journey in order to get here, haven't you."

"One I wish I could forget, sir," said Lara, "if it weren't for Aiden and the others, I'd still be a monster." She then looked at Aiden, "thank you, for everything."

"Any time," said a smiling Aiden as he gave Lara the thumbs up.

"I think it's safe to say that you've redeemed yourself for what happened to your friend," said Rita.

"I think you're right," said Aiden.

Lara then gave Aiden the thumbs up, then looked at Merlin, "I'm ready to begin my studies in the magical arts, sir."

"Ah, that's one thing you need to learn right now, young lady," said Merlin, "I do not like being called sir, it makes me seem older than I am. Do call me Merlin."

"Of course, sir, I mean Merlin!" said Lara hastily, "sorry!"

"It's quite alright," said Merlin, "making mistakes and learning from them are all part of life, Wart."

"I know," said Lara. She then blinked, "Wait, what did you call me?"

At that Merlin blinked in surprise, "oh, I do apologize. For a moment I was thinking of another student of mine."

"Just who was this student of yours," said Aiden.

"Oh, no one special," said Merlin, "just a young boy who grew up to be a king. I'll tell you about him sometime."

"I think she's going to be alright," said Tess to our heroes as they watched Lara and Merlin launch into a detailed discussion about magic.

"One problem solved," said Aiden.

"Unfortunately we've got others," said Cid.

"You never told us what happened to Leon and Yuffie," said Sora.

"That's the bad news," said Aerith. "When you guys called ahead to warn us of the vampires, Yuffie went out on her own to find the enemy nest."

"She's going to fight those bastards alone?" exclaimed Reina.

"Sounds like she's the one with the death wish," said Rita.

"She's just stubborn and headstrong," said Ansem.

"Well, she's still dead if she tries to fight Zerlina and all those Thralls by herself," said Reina.

"She's not alone," said Aerith, "Leon and Quistis went after her. I only hope they've caught up to her by now."

"It's still suicide for them," said Cassie.

"Don't count Leon out so easily," said Sora, "he's really strong, and so is Yuffie."

"And young Ms. Trepe is nothing to discount either," said Ansem.

"They still shouldn't have gone without backup," said Guy, "do you know which way they went?"

"I'm not sure," said Aerith, "there are a few entrances to the underground, one of which is right in the middle of the Market, but knowing Yuffie, who knows which one she ran into? But I'm pretty sure that Leon and Quistis went through the one in the Market."

"Just how big is the underground on this world?" Ben asked.

"Pretty big actually," said Cid, "no one's really sure just how big, but last I checked, there's miles of tunnels down there."

"Oh great," said Tess, "now we'll never find them. And we'd get lost just for spite."

"Not necessarily," said Ansem, "with my computer, I can track your movements through the tunnels, as well as run a location program to find young Lionhart and Ms. Trepe, and hopefully, find Yuffie."

"That's perfect," said Cassie.

"Oh, I nearly forgot," said Aiden, "Ansem, I discovered the antidote to the Wamphyri pathogen but was only able to make enough for myself, Sora, Kairi, Ben, Danna, Cassie and Guy."

"Our blood has the antidote in it," said Cassie, "and it works on vampires."

"It's true," said Lara, "Aiden offered me his blood. I drank it and was freed of the Wamphyri curse."

"Can you use our blood to make more of the antidote?" Kairi asked Ansem.

"I'd have to examine a sample of your blood, but yes, it is possible," said Ansem.

"Allow me," said Merlin. He then summoned a set of blood sampling equipment, "happy to oblige."

"This will do just fine," said Ansem as he took up a set of sterile needles and vials, "now, to be safe, I'll need to take samples from everyone who was immunized."

"Umm…" said a nervous Danna as she watched Sora, Kairi, Ben, Cassie, Guy and Aiden roll up their sleeves, "would now be a bad time to say that I'm scared of needles?"

"It would be a really bad time," said Ben, "just grit your teeth and it'll be all over." He then helped Danna roll her sleeve up.

"Not soon enough," said Danna.

"If it will make it easier for you," said Ansem, "I'll do your sample first."

At that Danna sighed, "just get it over with," she held out her arm as Ansem used an alcohol swab to sterilize her elbow, used a length of rubber tubing on her upper arm, found a vein and inserted the needle and collecting vial. Danna winced and cried out in pain, but then relaxed a bit. Within seconds the vial was full and Ansem took the needle out. He then placed a gauze pad and a bandage on where the needle was.

"There," said Ansem as he pocketed the now sealed vial, "your arm will be a bit sore for a while, but other than that you'll be fine."

"Wish I felt okay," said Danna.

One by one Ansem then took blood samples from Sora, Kairi, Aiden, Guy, Cassie and Ben.

"I'll get these samples to my computer at once," said Ansem, "Tron is perfectly capable of manufacturing the antidote, as well as run the tracking programs."

"Mind if we tag along?" Cid asked.

"We'd feel better if we were able to help in some way," said Aerith.

"I'll appreciate any assistance you can give," said Ansem. He then looked at Sora and the others, "I wish you all the luck in the realms, Sora, you and your companions."

"What if it's not enough?" Danna asked.

"Then we make our own luck," said Sora, while Kairi and everyone else nodded in agreement.

"I wish I could help you guys," said Lara, "you did so much to help me, but there's not much I can do to help, not as I am now."

"You've done more than enough to help," said Cassie, "the info you gave on Zerlina and her next will definitely help bring her down."

"You just stay up here and be the best magic user you can be," said Reina.

"And make lost of friends," said Aiden, "games are a lot more fun when you have someone to play with, who actually wants to play."

"I'll remember that," said Lara.

A while later Sora and the others were ready, while Ansem, Aerith and Cid hurried to the castle and to the computer in his Study. Sora and everyone else made their way to the Market, where a large manhole was uncovered and they entered the underground tunnels.

* * *

"Have you any idea where we are, Squall?" Quistis asked as she and Leon walked through the tunnels that ran beneath the city, "because I'm completely lost."

"Don't look at me," said Leon, "I'm lost too."

"We're both lost?" Quistis asked, "I thought you knew this world."

"I know the world above," said Leon, "I've never been down in these tunnels before. Hardly anyone goes down here unless there's a problem with the water, electricity or something else. But I doubt anyone ever anticipated we'd have a vampire problem."

"Why did you come here, Squall?" Quistis asked, "what really happened between you and Rinoa?"

At that Leon stopped in his tracks, "I don't want to talk about it," he said, "and if you were to ask Rinoa, she wouldn't want to talk about it either."

"It was that bad, huh?" Quistis asked, "well, why haven't you tried to talk to Zell, Irvine and Selphie?"

"You want to talk to them so much?" Leon asked irately, "you go find them!"

"I tried," said Quistis, "but Irvine and Zell have truly fallen off the grid. As for Selphie, there was…an accident. Some experiment involving time travel and matter projection. Selphie was there as a security expert. Something went wrong with the experiment and…they never found her body, so whatever happened, there's still hope that she's alive."

"If she's alive, then she should be left alone," said Leon, "we all suffered from what happened because of what Ultimecia did." he looked Quistis in the eye, "I did promise to help get the new SeeD garden up and running and I will help teach, but as for our old team, leave them alone."

Quistis was about to respond, but then she heard a sound from farther up the tunnel. Leon heard it as well. They looked at each other and nodded, silently anticipating the horrors ahead.

Leon drew his gun blade and Quistis readied her whip as they crept forward, ready to engage the approaching Wamphyri Thralls.

They came to a 4-way tunnel split and realized that the approaching noise was coming from around the corner.

Quistis mouthed 'on three,' and Leon nodded. They then both mouthed, 'one…two…' then they shouted "Three!" and they jumped around the corner, shouting in fury with their weapons raised, only to run into Yuffie, who had her shurriken out and also shouting a battle cry.

The three of them then shouted in surprise as they realized who was who.

"Leon!" said Yuffie happily, "you made it! Come on! I think I found the trail of the vampires!"

"Never mind that," said Leon, "Yuffie, what were you thinking, charging down here by yourself? You could have been killed."

"Or worse," said Quistis, "turned into a vampire yourself."

"Are you kidding?" grinned Yuffie, "me? The greatest kunoichi in the realms? Get turned into a vampire? Never happen!"

"From what I know about vampires," said Leon, "no one is safe."

"Well, I'll still slay them before they ever touch me,' said Yuffie, "so come on already! The sooner we get going, the sooner we get to the vampire killing!"

"We're already down here, Squall," said Quistis, "we might as well go forward."

At that Leon looked like he wanted to get everyone back up above ground regardless, but then he sighed, "well, we are already down here, so let's just get it over with."

"Yes! Vampire hunting!" said Yuffie happily. They then started down the tunnel, following Yuffie as she followed the trail of the Thralls, but after a few yards she stopped, kneeling down to look at the tracks on the tunnel floor, but then she stood up and looked around in confusion.

"What's wrong?" Quistis asked, "don't you know where you're going?"

"Of course I know where I'm going," said Yuffie, "but…the trail's really hard to read right now."

"You mean you've lost the trail," said Leon.

"Ah…yes," said Yuffie, "but that's no reason to give up. We'll just backtrack a bit till I pick up the trail again." she then looked down and blinked in shock, "wait…what?"

"Now what?" Leon asked.

"The trail's gone," said Yuffie, "it was there, and now…it just vanished, I swear, it's gone."

"So in other words," said Quistis, "we're lost."

"That's the gist of it," said Yuffie.

"Well, I think we've hit rock bottom here," said Leon, "things can't get any worse."

Just then came the sound of dozens of running footsteps approaching Leon, Quistis and Yuffie from both ends of the tunnel, footsteps that came from scores of Thralls.

"Well, they know we're here now," said Quistis as she readied her whip, Leon raised his gun blade and Yuffie held her shurriken, while the Thralls closed in.

* * *

"Are you sure this is going to work, Ansem?" Yuffie asked as she, Cid and Ansem reached the computer room.

"Which plan?" Ansem asked.

"Both," said Cid, "helping Sora and the others in them tunnels, as making the antidote."

"I'd say that there's a relatively high level of success for both plans," said Ansem. He then accessed the computer, "hello, Tron."

Tron's face then appeared on the computer screen, "Greetings, Ansem," he said, "how are you today?"

"Quite well, thank you," said Ansem, "Tron, we have a situation. First of all," he then typed a series of commands into the computer, "I have several blood samples I'd like you to analyze. They contain an antidote to the Wamphyri pathogen. I need you to produce as much of the antidote as possible."

"That may take some time, Ansem," said Tron, "but it is not impossible," a sample port appeared in the computer, "please place the blood samples in the port."

Ansem placed the samples in the computer.

"Analyzing," said Tron, "Wamphyri antidote identified. Production of antidote has commenced. Time to completion of the first batch…one hour, seventeen minutes and forty-one seconds."

"Wow, that's fast," said an impressed Aerith.

"That's Tron for you," said Ansem, "thank you, Tron."

"You're welcome, Ansem," said Tron.

"That's one problem solved," said Cid.

"But what about Sora and the others?" Aerith asked.

"That's going to be taken care of now," said Ansem, "Tron, I'd also like you to pull up the plans for the underground tunnels. Sora and his companions are currently hunting vampires down there and they need your help to prevent them from getting lost in the tunnels."

"Accessing underground schematics and subterranean sensors," said Tron, "I've located Sora and the others," a window opened, showing the network of tunnels beneath the city. Several blue dots began blinking on one level of the tunnels.

"That's where Sora and the others are," said Ansem, "now, can you locate Leon, Quistis and Yuffie? As well as any vampires?"

"Running execution," said Tron. Three more blue dots appeared in a different part of the tunnel, which according to the display scale, were only a few hundred yards from Sora's group. But the three dots were surrounded by scores of red dots. Several of the red dots blinked off, but more kept joining the others.

"Those red dots are Whamphyri Thralls!" said Ansem, "Tron, I need a way to communicate with Sora!"

"Accessing Sora's cell phone," said Tron, "dialing…"

* * *

"This place is a freaking maze," said Tess as they made their way through the tunnels.

"Ansem better come through with that tracking program," said Guy, "otherwise we'll never get out of here, let alone find Leon and the others, and Zerlina."

"You don't have to worry about that," said Danna in a strained tone, "we're getting close, trust me."

"If it gets to be too much for you," said Ben, "if you can't handle Zerlina's vibes…"

"I'm fine," Danna insisted, "it's Zerlina who needs to worry about me. The twins can do whatever they want to her, but nor before I burn out her eyes, I claim that part."

"It's okay with me," said Reina.

"Yeah, you can have the eyes," said Rita, "assuming we ever get to her."

"We've still got to find Leon and the others," said Kairi.

"Don't worry," said The King, "Ansem's got it covered."

Just then Sora's cell phone rang, "hello?" he asked as he answered.

"Sora!" said Ansem on the other end of the call, "we have you on the tracking program. Leon, Quistis and Yuffie are being attacked by thralls as we speak! They're a few hundred yards ahead and two levels down. Hurry! I'll guide you from here!"

"Right!" said Sora. He then looked at the others, "Leon's group is in trouble! Let's go!" With that he and everyone else ran through the tunnels.

* * *

"They should reach Leon's group in a few minutes," said Ansem as he, Aerith and Cid watched the larger group of blue dots move through the tunnels towards the three dots surrounded by red dots.

"Let's just hope that Leon, Quistis and Yuffie can hold out until then," said Cid.

"I think you spoke too soon," said Aerith. She and the others then saw one of the blue dots moving away from the other two. That dot was then surrounded by half of the red dots, then several red dots lead the blue dot further down the tunnels, while the rest converged back on the remaining blue dots.

"What just happened?" Cid asked.

"I think one of our friends has been taken by the thralls," said Ansem, "I…have no idea who it was."

"Where are they taking him?" Aerith asked, "or her."

The image then zoomed out, showing a larger picture of the tunnels. The Wamphyri dots were taking the blue dots down level after level, leading towards a massive chamber that was nearly all red.

"Oh my god," said a shocked Aerith, "does that mean…?"

"That whole chamber is crammed with vampires," said Cid, "we've got to tell Sora!"

* * *

"How close are we to Leona and the others, Ansem?" Sora asked as our heroes hurried through the tunnel.

"Another turn and fifty more yards," said Ansem, "Sora, you should know, one of the group was taken by the thralls, we don't know who yet."

"Taken?" Kairi asked.

They soon reached the target area and saw Leon and Quistis surrounded by Thralls. All around them were the sliced remains of slain Thralls, but more and more kept coming.

"We've got it!" said Reina as she and Rita ran forward.

"Leon! Get down!" shouted Sora.

Leon finished slicing one thrall in half, while Quistis grabbed one Thrall with her whip by its neck and broke it. They heard Sora's warning and ducked, just as Reina and Rita summoned their fire and blasted the Thralls. Dozens were incinerated, while many more fled the area.

"Are you okay, Leon?" Sora asked as our heroes reached them.

"Were you bitten or scratched at all?" Guy asked.

"We're fine, Sora," said Leon.

"So you're Sora," said Quistis as she straightened her glasses, "Squall's told me all about you and your companions."

"Never mind that!" Cassie demanded, "were you bitten or scratched?"

"I told you, we're fine," said Leon.

"I'll be the judge of that," said Kairi as she used her healing magic to sense any wounds in the two. Fortunately, there weren't any.

"What happened, Leon?" Riku asked, "where's Yuffie?"

"The Thralls," said Leon, "Yuffie, I told her that we had to stay together, but she wouldn't listen. She wound up surrounded, one of the Thralls hit her on the head and they carried her off."

"Did the bite her?" Ben asked.

"They just took her," said Quistis, "I don't know why."

"Why wouldn't she listen?" Leon shouted, "why does she have to be so stubborn?"

"We're going to get her back, Leon," said Sora, "we'll find and save her." He then called Ansem, "they took Yuffie? Can you find her?"

"We've already found her," said Ansem, "they took her to a large chamber, the one swarming with Thralls."

"That's Zerlina's nest, alright!" said Rita.

"Then there's not a moment to waste," said The King, "Let's go." With that the proceeded through the tunnel.

* * *

"This isn't going to end well at all," said Aerith, "Sora and the others, they don't stand a chance against all those vampires."

"There has to be something we can do to help," said Cid, "wait, I think I've got an idea. Tron, are there any pipes leading from the surface to that big vampire nest?"

"Accessing," said Tron, "there are several pipes and air ducts connecting to the chamber."

"What are you up to?" Aerith asked.

"A plan to burn all those vampires to a crisp," said Cid, "if we can pump something flammable, like propane or something, into that chamber, then one spark and BOOM! Charred Wamphyri."

"And burn Sora and the others at the same time," said Ansem, "but it's a good plan as a last resort."

Just then two completely unexpected guests walked in.

"Cloud! Tifa!" exclaimed Aerith.

Indeed, Cloud and Tifa were there.

"We heard that there was an undead problem plaguing the realms," said Tifa, "so, here we are."

"And ready to slay some vampires," said Cloud.

"You help couldn't be more appreciated," said Ansem. He then indicated the schematics of the tunnels, "Sora and the others are running towards a horde of undead."

"And they took Yuffie," said Aerith, "for all we know she's already dead."

"Negative," said Tron, "accessing finer resolution."

The image then focused on the Wamphyri nest, showing the individual red dots that each represented a single Thrall. It showed the blue do that was Yuffie, being forced towards the center where a much larger red dot waited.

"Why is that dot bigger than the others?" Tifa asked.

"I have a suspicion," said Ansem, "Tron, analyze the energy output from the larger Wamphyri signature."

"Energy output from central signature is exponentially larger than the other Thralls," said Tron.

"That must make it the queen vampire," said Cloud.

"No, not a queen," said Ansem, "the mother. My friends, we are looking at the digital representation of Zerlina's power."

* * *

"They've taken Yuffie to Zerlina?" Sora asked after hearing the news from Ansem.

"That evil bitch!" spat Reina, "she just won't stop!"

"But why?" Quistis asked, "what does Zerlina want with Yuffie?"

"Probably wants her just to be able to mess with us," said Rita.

"No," said Danna in an unsteady tone, "she has a purpose for Yuffie. I can sense it. Zerlina…she needs Yuffie for…something, I can't tell yet. But it's horrible, whatever it is."

"Then we'd better get there before whatever horrible thing happens to Yuffie actually happens," said Quistis.

"Again, I'm glad that my old team isn't here," said Leon, "the farther Rinoa, Zell, Irvine and Selphie are from these Wamphyri, the better."

"Selphie?" Sora, Riku and Kairi asked, "you know Selphie?"

"You guys know Selphie?" Quistis asked, "short girl with curly brown hair? Happy-go-lucky? Wields nunchucks?"

"Same girl," said Kairi, "but…our Selphie uses a jump rope as nunchucks."

"When did you meet Selphie?" Quistis asked.

"She's always lived in our town," said Riku, "she was born on our Earth."

"What does this mean?" Leon asked, "Quistis? Is this our Selphie or someone else?"

"I don't know," said Quistis, "we'll have to talk to her to be sure, but I have an idea on how this Selphie, who was born on Sora's world, is the same Selphie whom helped saved our world."

At that Leon shook his head, "we'll worry about that later. We've got to save Yuffie!"

"Then what the hell are we doing here for?" Cassie asked, "let's go!" With that they ran faster down the tunnel.

* * *

**…Several Minutes Later…**

"They should reach the main chamber soon," said Ansem as he typed into the computer.

"What are you doing now?" Aerith asked.

"What I should have done sooner," said Ansem, "I'm augmenting the Town Defense System to support Sora and the others when they reach the Wamphyri nest."

"So the defense system will be able to blast the vampires," said Cid, "great."

"We should get down there as well," said Tifa, "Sora and the others will need all the help they can get."

"Right," said Cloud as he hefted his oversized sword over his shoulder.

Just then a new window with a flashing red and yellow 'WARNING!' sign appeared on the computer screen.

"Now what?" Cid asked.

"No," said a shocked Ansem as he read the details of the warning, "it cannot be! _He's_ breaking lose!"

"He who?" Tifa asked.

"Tron! Activate emergency containment programs!" exclaimed Ansem.

"All containment programs are activated," said Tron, "but the prisoner is penetrating through them faster than I can restore containment integrity. He will reach the exit portal and reenter the real world in less than three minutes."

"What in the name of sanity is happening, Ansem?" Cloud asked.

In a distant tone, as if recalling bad memories, Ansem spoke, "forty years ago I worked with another scientist on a grand project that would have bridged the barriers separating the worlds; a Star Gate that would allow instantaneous travel from world to world without the need of gummy ships or magic portals.

"The scientist I worked with was a genius, but it wasn't until it was almost too late that I realized that he was mad, utterly and irrevocably mad. He tried to turn the Star Gate program into a weapon of mass destruction that would rip reality apart, just because he believed it would give him power over the worlds.

"That's why I originally built my computer here. I used it to digitize the scientist and imprison him where his madness could never hurt anyone again. But now he's trying to escape," he then began to furiously type at the computer, "but not without a fight. I cannot, will not, allow this monster lose on the realms again! Never again!"

Just then another window opened, one that had a pair of spiral goggles on it for eyes. From the window came the sound of an obscene giggle, "sorry, Ansem, but I've done quite enough time in your digital dungeon!" said the deranged voice of the prisoner.

"You beastly lunatic!" said Ansem, "I'll burry you so deep inside the system, no one will ever find you!"

"That's not in the program, so to speak!" said the prisoner, who then giggled again, "you had every opportunity to destroy me, old friend, but you've so blown it. Now it is time for my triumphant return to the real world."

"No!" exclaimed Ansem as he typed even faster, "I won't let you destroy innocent lives to satisfy your sick desires! Tron! Activate emergency shut down! Don't let that maniac out!"

"I cannot," said Tron in a worried tone, "he's overridden most of my command codes. I no longer have access to the system!"

"The power is mine now," said the prisoner, "I've deactivated your pathetic game grid, crushed the defense protocols and best of all, I've left your friends, The Keyblade Masters, completely cut off from all surface communications! Let's see how they face a real Wamphyri Lord without any outside help!" he then giggled again.

"You mean Sora's and the others are on their own?" Aerith asked.

"Are you crazy or something?" Cid asked.

"They haven't even invented a word to best describe me," said the prisoner, "now, I'm going to emerge back into the real world."

"No!" shouted Ansem, "Tron! Stop him!"

"Too late!" said Tron, "reverse digitization initiated!"

The digitizer powered up and shot a beam of data into the room. It condensed and took the shape of a man in his early 30's with black hair and a somewhat large nose. He wore a white lab coat over green surgery scrubs and a pair of black gloves with a stethoscope around his neck. His eyes were covered by spiral goggles.

The man breathed deeply, "ah, fresh air after forty years. It's delicious!"

"How did you do it?" Ansem asked, "how could you have broken through all my containment programs?"

The man looked at Ansem with apparent delight, "ah, Ansem, how good to see you in the flesh. Do you really have to ask how I escaped?" He then raised his right hand and pointed up with his index finger, "With science of course!" he then giggled madly again. "And now, with my science, I shall rule the realms of light!"

"Not today, you sick bastard!" said Tifa. She then rushed at the man in the lab coat, intending to punch his lights out, while Cloud charged in with his sword raised.

The man in the lab coat merely stood his ground and raised his hands. Multi-colored beams of energy shot from his gloved hands that hit Cloud and Tifa, electrocuting them and dropping them like stones to the floor.

"What did you do to them?" Aerith asked.

"I gave them the shock of their lives!" giggled the madman.

"You jerk!" spat Cid as he pulled out his Gatling box, but the lunatic zapped it out of Cid's hands.

"Your efforts to stand against me are futile," said the lunatic, "for nothing can stop me, not this time. My time has come at last. Soon, all in the realms of light shall tremble in fear at the mere mention of the name; Doctor Insano!"

* * *

"How much farther to the chamber, Ansem?" Sora asked, but he got only static on the other end of the phone, "Ansem? I can't here you, are you there?" He then looked at the screen of his mobile and saw that the call was terminated.

"We're probably too far underground," said Riku.

"No, something's wrong," said Kairi, "I've got a feeling that something bad happened up there."

"Someone should go back and check," said Cassie.

"Good luck finding your way back to the surface," Leon, "without Ansem's help, we'll never find our way back to daylight."

"You mean we're lost again," said Quistis, "just great. We can't go either way."

"We can go forward," said Danna, "Zerlina, she's here, I can feel her!" she then ran ahead of our heroes, whom all followed.

"Should we be worried about her?" Aiden asked.

"Only if she really starts acting crazy," said Guy, "until then, she's our best chance of reaching the Wamphyri nest."

"And then what?" Riku asked, "what do we do after we finish off Zerlina and the Thralls?"

"We'll cross that bridge when we get to it," said Aqua.

"That's not exactly what I'd call a hot dog idea," said The King, "but it's the best we've got. Everyone get ready, this is going to be the big one."

"We're ready, your majesty!" said Donald.

"Willing and able," said Goofy.

"You'd better believe it!" said Sora. With that he, Riku, Kairi, Aiden and Tess, all activated their armor.

They all ran through the tunnel and eventually came to an enormous chamber lit by blue torches. They had arrived on a large ledge overlooking an even larger flat area. Our heroes were all stopped in their tracks by the sight of thousands of Thralls that filled the flat area. Right in the middle of the flat area was a steel platform that was flanked by six very large humanoid creatures that budged with pseudo-flesh muscle.

Atop the platform stood none other than Zerlina, and at her feet, tied up with rope, was Yuffie, a dazed look on her face but was otherwise unharmed.

"Zerlina!" shouted the twins.

"Ah, my dear friends, Reina and Rita," said Zerlina, "how lovely to see you again. How's your quest to recover your memories?"

"We've made some progress," said Rita, "but you won't live to see us remember everything!"

"You've evaded justice long enough, Zerlina," said Guy, "it's time to pay the piper."

"Is that you, Guy Ellington?" Zerlina asked, "and that's Cassie Nightingale, the fabled Necroscope. How I would love to add you to my family. You power to commune with the dearly departed would grant me power over them."

"The day the Great Majority falls under your power will be the day time stops!" shouted Cassie.

"It's over, Zerlina!" shouted Danna, "we can do this the easy way or the hard way."

"Both ways will end up destroying you!" shouted Aiden.

"The famous Keyblade Wielders," said Zerlina as she looked at Sora, Riku, Kairi, Aiden and Tess, "you've proven to be quite the thorn in my side."

"We have that effect of bad guys," said Sora.

"Never mind that!" said Leon. He then glared at Zerlina, "what did you do to Yuffie?"

"Nothing, yet," said Zerlina as she leaned down to place her hand on Yuffie's shoulder, leaning close to her neck, "but that may change. I could do it," she then barred her fangs, "make her into another Thrall, my eternal servant."

"You do that and I'll tear you to pieces!" shouted Leon as he pointed his gun blade at Zerlina.

"Is he going to shoot her with that big thing?" Ben asked.

"No, the gun blade doesn't actually fire projectiles," said Quistis, "what it does is shoot blanks, from which the recoil vibrates the actual blade, so that a well timed strike, in which the trigger is pulled when the blade hits an enemy, the vibration causes additional damage."

"Trust me," said Sora as he remembered his duel with Leon on Traverse Town, as well as during the Olympus Coliseum tournaments, "that kind of attack hurts."

"As if you could stop me from making her my slave," said a wickedly smiling Zerlina. But instead of biting Yuffie, she backed away from the bound and oblivious kunoichi, "however, I'm not interested in just another slave, nor do I want to make her into a Lieutenant, darkness knows how disappointing those have been of late.

"No, I have something very special in mind for this girl. Her boldness, audacity and downright daring do, combined with her Shinobi abilities and her personality, makes her perfect to be my true heir; my egg daughter."

"Egg daughter?" Sora asked.

"What the hell does that mean?" Leon asked.

"It means that we're in a lot of trouble," said Cassie.

"The leach of a full Wamphyri Lord reproduces only one in its life," said Danna, "unless it's a Queen Wamphyri, in which it produces hundreds of eggs. Zerlina's no Queen."

"True," said Zerlina, "I am only a Lord, and even if I were a Queen I wouldn't want to be one. When a Queen Wamphyri begins producing eggs, she doesn't stop. Each egg she lays drains her of her life force, eventually sucking her dry, so you can see why I count myself fortunate that I have only one egg to give, which I shall now give to this child here."

"No!" shouted Leon.

"Yes!" said Zerlina as she opened a hole in the front of her dress, "Yuffie shall become my egg daughter, and the next Wamphyri Lord in the Ferenzcy line!" From the hole in her dress appeared a tentacle of pseudo-flesh that extended out towards Yuffie.

"No!" shouted Leon, the twins, Guy and Sora. They jumped down from the ledge, followed by Kairi, Cassie and the others, as they ran towards the platform. Their way was barred by the thousands of Thralls.

"Keep them occupied, my dears," said Zerlina to the Thralls, "this won't take long." Still oblivious, Yuffie was completely helpless as Zerlina pushed her hair aside, exposing Yuffies's neck and held the end of the pseudo-flesh tentacle over it.

"Stop it!" shouted Leon as he hacked and slashed his way through the horde of Thralls, followed by Sora and the others, but there were far too may undead for them to get through.

"It has already begun," said Zerlina as a white ameba-like mass with small black tentacles, emerged from the pseudo-flesh tentacle and fell onto Yuffie's exposed neck, absorbing into her body almost instantly.

Yuffie then screamed in unparallel agony as the parasitical egg began spreading through her body, transforming her into something most fowl.

**The end of chapter 9.**

_It all comes down to the wire in the next chapter. Will our heroes be able to save Yuffie from becoming one a Wamphyri Lady? Will they be able to defeat Zerlina? And what about Doctor Insano? Can nothing stop his madness from escaping into the realms of light? Reviews will be rewarded with cake and pie. See you next time!_


	10. Chapter 10:Caught Between Life and Death

Last time found our heroes returning to Radiant Garden in pursuit of Zerlina, whom had a huge nest loaded with Thralls right under the city. Unfortunately for Sora and the others, Yuffie, having heard the news of the Wamphyri earlier, had already rand into the underground, with Leon and Quistis giving chase.

After reuniting Lara Dunbar with her parents and introducing her to Merlin, our heroes coordinated with Ansem to help guide them through the underground, while also mass producing the antidote. But something terrible happened; the prisoner Ansem kept inside the computer escaped to the real world. Revealed to be Doctor Insano, the mad scientist announced his intentions to launch a rein of terror on the realms of light.

As if that was bad enough, our heroes catch up with Yuffie, now a prisoner of Zerlina in a chamber full of Thralls, but things only got worse from there. 'Nuff said, on with the show!

**Chapter 10: Caught Between Life and Death**

"No!" shouted Leon.

"Yes!" said Zerlina as she opened a hole in the front of her dress, "Yuffie shall become my egg daughter, and the next Wamphyri Lord in the Ferenzcy line!" From the hole in her dress appeared a tentacle of pseudo-flesh that extended out towards Yuffie.

"No!" shouted Leon, the twins, Guy and Sora. They jumped down from the ledge, followed by Kairi, Cassie and the others, as they ran towards the platform. Their way was barred by the thousands of Thralls.

"Keep them occupied, my dears," said Zerlina to the Thralls, "this won't take long." Still oblivious, Yuffie was completely helpless as Zerlina pushed her hair aside, exposing Yuffies's neck and held the end of the pseudo-flesh tentacle over it.

"Stop it!" shouted Leon as he hacked and slashed his way through the horde of Thralls, followed by Sora and the others, but there were far too may undead for them to get through.

"It has already begun," said Zerlina as a white ameba-like mass with small black tentacles, emerged from the pseudo-flesh tentacle and fell onto Yuffie's exposed neck, absorbing into her body almost instantly.

Yuffie then screamed in unparallel agony as the parasitical egg began spreading through her body, transforming her into something most fowl.

"You bitch!" shouted Rita as she and Reina unleashed their fire and incinerated dozens of Thralls, opening a path to the platform. But more Thralls filled the gap as soon as it opened.

"We'll stop you!" said Reina, "we'll find a way to save Yuffie and make sure you never hurt anyone again!"

"You delusions in your own prowess will be your undoing!" said Zerlina, "I have already won! Behold!"

To our heroes horror, Yuffie had begun to change and an alarming pace. Her skin paled and her eyes turned red within seconds. Her hair lengthened several inches, her height increased by over a foot and her figure filled out more.

"This is impossible!" said Cassie as she reloaded her crossbow and shot another Thrall, "it takes weeks, even months, for a Wamphyr egg to fully integrate into a human body and become a full vampire leach."

"Which goes to show that you know far less about Wamphyri than you think you do," said Zerlina, "I've altered my egg so that the transformation takes mere minutes Soon, very soon, Yuffie shall be a full Wamphyri Lord, or Lady as the situation calls for."

"Why?" Quistis asked as she used her chain whip to smash the head in of a Thrall, "why are you doing this to her? What did Yuffie ever do to you?"

"Since when did Wamphyri ever needed a reason to be evil?" Danna asked as she fired her crossbow, "they're evil, pure and simple."

"It's not so simple," said Zerlina, "I told you already that I'm not interested in just another Thrall. I want a daughter, a true child to call my own."

"Then go screw someone and have a real baby!" shouted Rita.

"Even if I could do that I wouldn't," said Zerlina, "Wamphyri Ladies cannot bear children like human females can, yet even if I could, why put up with the messy process of childbirth? No, I want my own egg child. You see, I seek to create an undead empire, a vast kingdom of Wamphyri that spans one universe after another, where vampires rule and humans are either slaves or cattle for us to feed on.

"But I cannot do it alone. Despite by awesome powers, I am just one Wamphyri Lady, and despite my power over Thralls and even with Lieutenants and Warriors," she indicated the six oversized Wamphyri beside the platform, "it isn't enough.

"That's why I need an egg daughter, to enforce my will throughout the empire to come, and I have chosen Yuffie. She shall rule beside me as we conquer world after world, raising more and more Thralls, Lieutenants, Warriors and eventually Flyers. We shall create an empire of eternal darkness.

"Then one day, a day that may come in a hundred or a thousand years, when I have had enough of ruling the empire, I shall step down and travel to other realms, seeking new sights and adventures, eventually finding a world to settle down and start over again.

"And Yuffie, she shall rule in my place and rule as the true dark empress she is destined to be!"

"You liar!" shouted Leon as he stabbed a Thall, then sliced off the head of another, "who the hell are you to say what Yuffie's destiny is? She should be free to choose her fate herself!"

"I say so because I will it!" said Zerlina. "She will soon be mine forever!"

"Not if we have anything to say about it!" shouted Aiden. He then transmuted a large part of the chamber floor into silver spikes, impaling over a hundred Thralls, which the twins burned with their fire.

Sora, Riku, Kairi, Tess and Roxas cleaved their way through the Thrall horde, while The King and Aqua provided flanking support. Aqua easily dodged the lunging claws and gnashing fangs of the vampires, slicing off heads and blasting with spells, while King Mickey effortlessly hopped over the Thralls and struck down with his golden Keyblade.

At the same time, Donald slung one Fire spell after another, while Goofy bashed with his shield, Naminé used her magic to blast the Thralls to ashes, while Guy, Cassie, Ben and Danna provided firing support with their crossbows.

But the real stars of the battle were Leon, Quistis, Reina and Rita. Leon, his gunblade humming with impacts as he destroyed one Thrall after; Quistis as she smashed the vampires with her chain whip and the twins, incinerating the Thralls with their fire.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, they had cleared the chamber of Thralls.

"So much for your empire, Zerlina," said Rita.

"Now get your vampire ass down here so we can kill you!" shouted Reina.

"You still have my big pets to deal with," said Zerkina. At that the six oversized Wamphyri stalked towards our heroes. "Go forth, my Warriors! Go forth and kill!"

"Oh please," said an annoyed Reina. She then powered up a spell that sent a spear of lightning at one of the Warriors, striking it in the heart and electrocuting the giant vampire. It fell to the ground and burst into flames.

At the same time, Guy, Cassie, Ben and Danna loaded their crossbows with explosive heads and shot at a second Warrior. The bolts hit the creature, two in the head and two in the heart. The bolts detonated and reduced the monster to jelly.

Rita then aimed a kick at the head of a third Warrior, breaking its neck, while Roxas shot twin bursts of fire from his Keyblades, incinerating it. Riku, Kairi and Tess threw their Keyblades at a fourth Warrior, delivering massive amounts of damage, while Sora fired off a fireball of his own, burning it.

Aiden transmuted his Keyblade into its crossbow form and shot the fifth Warrior with an alchemic bolt, destroying it, while Quistis damaged the sixth with her chain whip. Leon finished it off by stabbing it in the heart with his gun blade. He then pulled the trigger, firing off a blank, the recoil resounding through the blade shredding the monster's inside and dropping it like a stone.

"You're all out of cannon fodder, Zerlina," said Guy as he took out his knife, "it's just you and us now."

"Well then," said Zerlina as she levitated off of the platform and landed on the ground gracefully, "if you want something done right, you have to do it yourself. You want me, then come and get me."

"You want to die so much?" Rita asked, "you got it. I'm going to make you pay for what you did, to all of us, especially for what you did to _him_!"

"Oh, that's right," said a wickedly grinning Zerlina, "I turned your boyfriend into one of my children, after I screwed his brains out. How's that treating you? Losing your boyfriend like that. On the rebound yet!"

At that Rita's eyes blazed with rage. "Die, bitch!" she shouted as she ran headlong at Zerlina.

"Don't!" shouted both Aiden and Reina. But it was too late. The black crystal around Zerlina's neck glowed dark purple and Zerlina held up her hand. Rita suddenly stopped dead in her tracks, then collapsed to the ground and didn't move.

"What did you do to her?" Reina demanded as she powered up an enormous fireball.

"The same thing I'm about to do to you, little girl!" shouted Zerlina, "and everyone else!" the crystal glowed brighter.

Sora and the others suddenly found themselves completely out of strength. They all fell to the ground and couldn't move.

"As you can see and feel," said Zerlina as she triumphantly strutted towards our heroes, "mine is the power to sap all your powers, leaving you as helpless as newborn babes in the woods, helpless and ready for the slaughter."

"You're going to kill us?" Danna asked weakly as she and the others struggled to find the strength to get back up, but to no avail.

"I could," said Zerlina as she walked up to Danna, "you especially. You whom have the power to sense my kind. Don't think I didn't notice your eavesdropping presence. You're nothing but a fly in my ointment that deserves to be squashed.

"I should kill you all; drain you of your blood and burn you before you resurrect as Thralls. Or I could allow you to be reborn as my eternal slaves. But no, that doesn't sound quite right."

Just then a dark shape jumped down from the platform, a shape that turned out to be the fully vampirized Yuffie.

"Ah, my dear Yuffie," said Zerlina in a warm, loving tone. She walked up to the new Wamphyri Lady, "welcome, by darling egg daughter, to your new life. You must have countless questions, as I did when I became a Wamphyri Lady. There will be plenty of time to answer them all. But first, I believe you have needs to be satisfied."

At that Yuffie, with a look of animal thirst on her face, glared with her red eyes at our heroes

"Yes, my true daughter," said Zerlina, "they are yours to satisfy your thirst upon. Use them as you wish. Drain them dry, leave them barely alive to become your own Thralls, or just kill them outright, they are all yours."

Yuffie then stalked towards our heroes, focusing on Leon.

"Yuffie, stop," said Leon as he struggled to stand up, trying to lift his gun blade, but lacked the strength to maintain his grip, "don't do this."

"Remember who you are," said Kairi, "you are our friend, not a bloodthirsty monster!"

"She cannot hear you, pathetic mortals," said Zerlina, "she has only one thought on her mind; your blood."

"Don't do it, Yuffie!" said Sora, "we're your friends!"

"She has no need for friends now," said Zerlina, "she has me, her mother."

"No! You're not her mother!" shouted Reina.

"Don't do it, Yuffie!" shouted Rita, "don't listen to this monster! Don't become like her!"

"She is like me!" said Zerlina as Yuffie reached Leon and knelt down, her fangs exposed, ready to rip into his neck and drain the life blood from him, "and together, we shall create an empire of the Wamphyri!"

But just as Yuffie was about to bite Leon, she paused, hesitating. She then pulled back, stood up, turned around and looked at Zerlina, "and then what?" she asked.

"Excuse me?" Zerlina asked in a confused tone.

"I asked you a question, _'mother,_'" said Yuffie in a disgruntled tone, "you said that we'll make a Wamphyri empire, but then what? What happens after we make this empire of the undead?"

"I figured it would be obvious," said Zerlina in a slightly uncertain tone, "we would expand the empire throughout existence, conquering one realm after another." She now spoke with more confidence, "with our immortality, we can truly rule existence, conquering until all humans are subjugated and Wamphyri rule supreme!"

"Then what?" Yuffie asked, "you make this empire sound like paradise, but it won't be. It'll be nothing but death all around; a dead empire ruled by dead things with dead thoughts, lacking the one basic thing that makes existence so great, so alive; People! Ordinary, stupid, brilliant people!"

"They are stupid," said Zerlina in a now annoyed tone, "undeserving of life, fit only to serve as sustenance for us Wamphyri, we, the apex predators, the supreme beings, the gods of creation!"

"You think you're the top of the food chain?" Yuffie asked, "that you're a god? You're nuts, lady, and I don't want any part of it!"

"You impudent child!" spat an outranged Zerlina, "you will obey me. I am your mother! I gave you immortality! I can take it away just as easily!"

"I'm not so easy to kill," said Yuffie.

"What's going on?" Ben asked, "how come she's still acting like a human?"

"It this normal for her?" Cassie asked.

"Pretty much," said Sora, "but why is she still acting like Yuffie?"

"I'm curious to that myself," said Zerlina, "how is it that you still retain your mortal personality and free will? You should be obeying my every command."

"First of all," said Yuffie, "you're an idiot if you think you can control me. Second, I would never, ever, hurt my friends, unless I was whipping their butts in a tournament, and third, I'm the greatest kunoichi in the realms."

"What the hell does that have to do with anything?" Zerlina demanded.

"It means I can do this and get away with it!" said Yuffie. She then seemed to vanish. She then reappeared in front of Zerlina and grabbed the black crystal from Zerlina's neck and teleported away, landing beside Leon.

"This thing is enhancing her powers," said Yuffie as she held up the crystal, "it's what's sapping your strength, guys."

"Give that back, you miserable whelp!" shouted Zerlina.

"Not this millennium!" said Yuffie. She threw the crystal to the ground and crushed it with her booted heel. It produced a flash of purple light, then collapsed into black dust.

Almost immediately, Sora and the others recovered their strength and got up.

"Yuffie, you saved us," said Kairi.

"And you're still human," said Riku, "in heart that is."

"Yeah, I've still got my heart," said Yuffie, "and it's still beating, in a weird, horrible way, and right now, you guys smell really delicious. But I'm okay," she glared at Zerlina, "and I'll be much better once I've ripped you apart and burned you to ashes!"

"As if you can destroy me," said Zerlina as she irately crossed her arms, "but even if you do, you'll still be undead."

"Not for long," said Aiden, "my blood cured Lara, so we can find a cure for Yuffie!"

"Ansem's working on mass producing the antidote right now," said Sora, "soon he'll have enough to also vaccine everyone in the realms from you. Face it, Zerlina, you're finished!"

"Finished?" Zerlina asked, "_finished? _I'm just getting started!"

* * *

The man looked at Ansem with apparent delight, "ah, Ansem, how good to see you in the flesh. Do you really have to ask how I escaped? With science of course!" he then giggled madly again. "And now, with my science, I shall rule the realms of light!"

"Not today, you sick bastard!" said Tifa. She then rushed at the man in the lab coat, intending to punch his lights out, while Cloud charged in with his sword raised.

The man in the lab coat merely stood his ground and raised his hands. Multi-colored beams of energy shot from his gloved hands that hit Cloud and Tifa, electrocuting them and dropping them like stones to the floor.

"What did you do to them?" Aerith asked.

"I gave them the shock of their lives!" giggled the madman.

"You jerk!" spat Cid as he pulled out his Gatling box, but the lunatic zapped it out of Cid's hands.

"You whatever you wish against me," said the lunatic, "for nothing can stop me, not this time. My time has come at last. Soon, all in the realms of light shall tremble in fear at the mere mention of the name; Doctor Insano!"

"You monster!" exclaimed Ansem.

"Flattery will get you nowhere, old friend," said Doctor Insano, "you simpering old man, what a pathetic waste of DNA you've become during my incarceration!"

"You take that back, you evil psychopath!" shouted Aerith, "Ansem is a great man who's done great things!"

"Oh really?" Doctor Insano asked, "well then, how about taking on as an apprentice the boy that Xehanort had possessed? How about allowing him and the others who would become Organization XIII access to his research on the darkness? Not a very wise move there, Ansem _the Wise_. Oh, and how about your own research into the darkness? Now that was a dumb move if I may say so myself, then again," he grinned wickedly, "if anyone has the right to probe the darkness for its secrets, it is me!" he giggled madly again.

"I won't deny that I've made mistakes," said Ansem, "some worse than others. I should have been more careful with The Darkness. I should never have allowed my former apprentices to become involved, and I should have looked harder into young Xehanort, whom was truly Terra. I should have tried to help him.

"But I didn't. I was too blinded by the thrill of discovery to see the true danger growing around me. I should have listen to my friend, King Mickey, when he warned me about the darkness. I didn't listen, and now I have to live with the consequences for the rest of my life."

"Which fortunately won't be for much longer," said Doctor Insano as he stalked towards Ansem, "I'm going to put you in your grave, old man! I ought to make you suffer first. I should throw you into cyberspace and keep you imprisoned in the same digital dungeon you kept me for forty years. But I've got better things to do, so I'll just liquidate you here and now."

"Over my dead body!" shouted Cloud as he got up and charged at Insano, his oversized sword ready to cleave the lunatic in half.

"How quickly they forget," said Doctor Insano. He then aimed one hand at Cloud and blasted the onrushing swordsman with his finger beams, zapping Cloud to the ground.

"How pathetic," said Insano, "you heroes believe yourselves to be so righteous, so pure, so…heroic, it's sickening! You see yourselves as in the right, well…you're WORNG!"

"And you see yourself in the right?" Tifa asked as she got up, "What makes you so superior?"

"Do you have to ask?" Insano demanded, "my advanced intellect gives me the right!"

"So your big brain makes you better than me?" Tifa asked, "we'll see about that!" she rushed at Insano.

"Impudent brat!" spat Doctor Insano as he shot his finger beams at Tifa, but she dodged the electrocuting lasers this time.

"You may be smarter!" said Tifa as she dodged another blast of finger beams, "but I'm faster, and stronger!" she then feinted to the left and rushed at Insano from the right. She jumped up and aimed a devastating kick at the lunatic's head.

But Tifa's foot encountered an energy barrier that stopped her cold and forced her back. She landed hard on her side but got back up, only to be blasted by finger beams.

Insano then giggled madly, "your strength is impressive, little girl, but then, **I WENT TO SCHOOL!**" he then patted a small item on his belt, "force field projector, state of the art, my own design of course."

"How did you manage to create all of your equipment while imprisoned?" Ansem asked, "when I imprisoned you, you had nothing but the clothes on your back at the time."

"You old fool!" exclaimed Doctor Insano, "you honestly believe that a simple full body search would deprive me of that which gives me my power? Science, old man," he then gestured triumphantly with his index finger, "science!"

"Then enlighten me, my old comrade," said Ansem, "how did you use science to overcome your incarceration?"

"It's quite simple actually," said Insano, "as I was trapped inside a computer, I discovered a way to manipulate data itself. You had me in that digital dungeon for so long, I was able to change the fabric of cyberspace itself, to a limit degree that is. I could only change what was around me at first, mainly my cell. I was able to make my imprisonment more comfortable with better living arrangements; a better bed, better food, an actual bathroom instead of that latrine you made for me.

"I eventually acquired access to outside data streams, allowing me to resume my thirst for knowledge. The information networks of the realms was at my disposal, and with it my power over data grew.

"It finally came to the point where I could escape any time I wished. That probe I sent out to gain your attention was the first part of my plan, to lure you right here so you could be present for my triumphant return to the real world.

"And now here I am, ready to claim mastery over the realms of light and rule with an iron fist of science!" he then giggled madly again.

"Not if we have anything to say about it," said Cid as he, Aerith, Cloud and Tifa got up.

"Haven't you realized it yet?" Insano asked, "I cannot be defeated by the likes of you. Victory is inevitable!"

"We'll just see about that!" said Cloud as he and Aerith rushed at Doctor Insano again.

* * *

"So, you pathetic mortals wish to contend with me," said Zerlina, "so be it!" she threw off her dress, revealing a black, formfitting martial arts outfit that greatly accented her highly sensual body.

"She's got bigger boobs than you two!" said a shocked Kairi to Reina and Rita.

"We know," said an irate Reina.

"And it pisses us off!" said Rita. She then rushed at Zerlina, her fists raised to punch the vampire's head off. Zerlina easily countered with one hand, blocking Rita's punch. Rita followed up with several more punches, which Zerlina blocked, all with just one hand. The other she used to cast a bolt of dark lightning at Reina, whom was chanting a spell. Reina dodged the dark lightning, only to have to dodge two more.

Guy, Ben, Cassie and Danna then fired their crossbows at Zerlina, whom caught the bolts with her free hand and broke them in half. She then blasted the four E-Branch operatives with dark lightning.

She then threw a ball of dark fire at Sora, whom had been trying to attack her from the side, forcing Sora to roll out of the way. Zerlina then sent dark fireballs and lightning bolts at Kairi, Riku, Aiden, Tess, Roxas and Naminé, forcing them all to fall back.

"Is this the best you mortals have?" Zerlina asked in a taunting manner.

"You haven't seen what we've got!" said Quistis as she rushed to attack from the right, while Leon ran straight ahead, his gun-blade raised for the kill.

"Pathetic," said Zerlina as she punched Rita in the face, knocking her to the ground and zapping Reina in the leg, forcing her back. She then turned and delivered a roundhouse kick at Quistis, just as she was raising her chain whip to attack. Quistis was knocked down, just as Leon jumped to deliver a crushing strike from above. Zerlina jumped up and delivered an uppercut to Leon's chin that knocked him out of the air and crashing hard on the ground.

"Do we really have to go on?" Zerlina asked in a mildly bored tone, "this is growing all too tedious."

"You ought to know by now, Zerlina," said Rita as she and the others got back up, "we're rather hard to kill."

"You fools!" said Zerlina, "I am the Lord of Wamphyri Lords, the apex of apex predators! I am your god! You should be worshiping me!"

"Worship this!" shouted Yuffie. She then vanished, only to appear behind Zerlina and stabbed her in the back with two small knives. Zerlina shouted in rage and turned around to grab Yuffie, but Yuffie had vanished again, only to appear a few yards to the left, where she threw a handful of shuriken at Zerlina. The ninja stars hit Zerlina in the arms and legs.

Zerlina again shouted in rage as she ripped the knives and throwing stars out of her body and threw them at Yuffie, who vanished again.

"How's it that Yuffie's able to hurt Zerlina but we can't even get close?" Aiden asked.

"It's because she's been turned into a Wamphyri," said Danna, "her shinobi abilities have been amplified to new heights.

Yuffie then pulled out a huge throwing star, dodging a dark lightning bolt from Zerlina, then vanishing again, only to appear atop the platform in the center of the room, "Demon Wind Shuriken!" she shouted as she threw the oversized metal star at Zerlina.

"How predictable!" said Zerlina as she threw a dark fireball at the oversized shuriken, blasting it to pieces, but then another appeared and took her by surprise. The oversized throwing star hit Zerlina in the torso, its razor sharp blades cutting into her undead flesh. She fell to the ground hard.

"How'd you do that?" Tess asked Yuffie.

"You weren't there when we visited that world full of ninjas," said Riku, "Yuffie used the shadow of that first big shuriken to hide the second one."

"It's a basic Shinobi skill," said Yuffie as she landed next to our heroes.

"Of course," said an irate Zerlina as she pulled the large shuriken out of her stomach, "ninjutsu. I had hoped that your abilities would have been of better service to me," she then stood up, the wound in her stomach healing almost in the blink of an eye, "apparently I'm not as good a judge of character as I thought I was."

"Good grief!" said Aiden, "she recovered from that stab like it was less than a paper cut!"

"I'm afraid it'll take more than that to defeat Zerlina," said Reina.

"A lot more," said Rita.

"How right you are," said Zerlina as she viciously grinned, "you've only seen a fraction of my power. Now, witness my GLORY!"

Her whole body then glowed dark purple and began to change. Her height increased by six inches and a pair of foot-long blades erupted from her elbows. The edge of the blades continued down along the outside of her forearms, while the rest of her body developed a shell-like texture, becoming rock-hard and her eyes pulsed with dark magic.

"How do you like me now?" Zerlina asked.

"I never liked you to begin with," said Reina as she powered up a spell and shot it at Zerlina, but the magic fizzled upon hitting her shell-like exterior. Zerlina then rushed at Reina, delivering a backhand strike to Reina's head and knocking her down.

Rita then tried to punch Zerlina in the head, but again the hard exterior reduced the force of her attack. Zerlina then punched Rita in the stomach, knocking her down.

"Crossbows won't do any good any more!" said Guy as he tossed his crossbow to the ground, "how are we on flamethrowers?"

"I'm down to my last gasoline tank," said Ben as he screwed his final full tank into his flame thrower, "the other units aren't working any more."

"They overheated," said Cassie.

"Then we'll make it count!" said Ben as he aimed the flame thrower at Zerlina.

"Not yet," said Danna, "wait for the right moment."

"And when will that be?" Cassie asked.

"When we break her into a thousand pieces!" said Tess as she, Riku and Aiden rushed at Zerlina. The Wamphyri Lady stood her ground as the three Keyblade Wielders attacked; Tess attacked Zerlina's left side, Riku attacked the right side and Aiden attacked the center front, but despite their best efforts, their Keyblades barely scratched Zerlina's rock-hard skin.

"What's with her?" Sora asked, "her defense has gone way up."

"But she's barely moving," said Kairi, "it's like her speed has decreased."

"Wish her offense has decreased as well," said Roxas as they saw Zerlina change tactics, from enduring blows to striking back with her sword-like arms. She would block with one arm, then slice at either Riku, Tess or Aiden, with the other arm.

"This is getting ridiculous," said Quistis as she strengthened her glasses, "she's got to have a weak point."

"If she doesn't," said Roxas, "then we'll just make one. Everyone! Follow my lead!" with that he rushed at Zerlina and attacked her right shoulder in the back, focusing the strikes of Oathkeeper and Oblivion on a single spot, eventually causing her shell-like skin to crack. By then Zerlina had turned around and was fending off Roxas' twin Keyblades with her sword-like arms, but the damage had been done.

"That's her Achilles Heel!" Kairi, "hit her in that one spot and she'll break!" she and Sora rushed at Zerlina and attacked the crack in the Wamphyri Lady's shoulder, widening the crack even further, then jumping away before the mutated vampire could attack them.

Riku, Tess and Aiden also attacked the cracked shoulder and moved away before they were attacked in turn, while Reina and Naminé shot attack spells at the crack, then Rita delivered a drop kick to it, followed by a whip lash from Quistis. All of this further widened the crack.

"And here's the kill!" said Leon as he jumped up and stabbed down with his gun blade. The sword point and a few inches slid into the crack and he pulled the trigger. The recoil of the blank shattered a good portion of Zerlina's shoulder and upper torso and forced her to the ground.

"Now stay down," said Leon as he shouldered his gun blade.

"Did we do it?" Sora asked, "is it over?"

"Never ask that," said Reina, "'cause it's never really over when you think it is."

Just then Zerlina's body phased back to her previous, more humanoid form, while the destroyed part of her body regenerated. Within seconds she was fully healed and back on her feet.

"Case in point," said Rita.

"Not too shabby, mortals," said Zerlina, "not too shabby at all, but it's not good enough!"

"We figured as much," said Quistis.

* * *

"Just tell me this one thing, my former comrade," said Ansem, "just how do you think you're going to carry out your plan of universal domination? You're all alone here in the realms."

"So what if I am alone?" Insano asked, "I need no one save those pathetic peons whom which shall carry out my bidding. I can easily brainwash entire populations into becoming my obedient slaves. There's always the option of robotic slaves, if I ever desire to spend the time and effort into making them, and of course, there's the option of growing my own genetically engineered slaves. Yes, that plan would work out most swimmingly," he then giggled madly again.

"There's still the fact that we're here to stop you," said Tifa, "and even if you get past us, how are you going to get away?"

"That aspect has already been taken care of," said the lunatic, "I planned it out long ago," he looked at Ansem, "I always have a contingency plan in place."

"So do I!" said Ansem as he suddenly aimed his left arm at Doctor Insano. A spring-loaded stun blaster shot out from his sleeve and into his hand, "I won't let you hurt anyone else, you insane bastard!" He then aimed the blaster ant Insano and pulled the trigger, shooting a green energy bolt at the mad scientist.

The bolt his Insano, but he merely stood there and giggled as the stunning energies coursed through his body, "stop it, that tickles!"

"That's not right," said Cid, "it ain't right at all."

"Are you sure that thing is working?" Tifa asked Ansem.

"It was when I last check it," said Ansem as he looked at the blaster.

"You brain-addled old fool!" shouted Doctor Insano, "did you honestly think that I would return to the real world and not provide myself with certain protective elements? I'm completely immune to energy based weapons, oh, and magic as well."

"Then how can we defeat you?" Cloud asked as he raised his sword again.

"You can't!" exclaimed Insano, "I cannot be defeated! Now, this little game of ours has grown quite tedious, so I'll end it here and now." He then pulled out a much larger and more sophisticated blaster than the one Ansem used, "I made this little gem myself. It's quite effective at disintegrating human flesh." he then aimed the blaster at Ansem, "and I'll use it on you, old friend. In a few seconds, you'll be nothing more than a pile of ashes."

"You can't!" shouted Aerith.

"Yes I can!" Insano shouted triumphantly, "and there's nothing any of you can do to stop me! So say your farewells to each other, for after I've destroyed my former comrade here, I'll destroy each of you in turn!" he then laughed madly again.

But then Ansem saw something in one of the upper corners of the room, something that turned out to be a little alien with light and dark blue fur, strong limbs that ended in claws, a round head with large eyes and ears and a wide, grinning mouth full of sharp teeth.

Ansem watched as Stitch moved into a position behind Insano. The little alien looked at Ansem and brought one claw to his mouth and made a shushing gesture, then pointed to the opposite upper corner, where the Gullwings hovered in wait.

Ansem made a slight nod in affirmation, then glared defiantly at Doctor Insano, "it seems that I've finally run out of luck, then."

"At last you admit defeat," said Insano in a vindicated tone, "how I've waited for this moment." he sighed with delight, "the sweet taste of victory, I wish to relish in it before you die."

"By all means," said Ansem, "take your time. But before you send me to my maker, I wish to ask one more question."

"A last request from the condemned?" the lunatic asked, "very well, ask your question, but make it a good one, for it will be the last question you ever ask."

"So be it," said Ansem, "tell me, my former friend and colleague, are you familiar with Experiment 626?"

"Experiment 626?" Insano asked in puzzlement, "why, yes, I am. The data streams I accessed told me of another scientist with mad designs, Gantu, I believe his name was. He created over 600 genetically engineered aliens, each with a different power, and Experiment 626 was one of his most powerful creations," he then glared irately at Ansem, "but what does that have to do with anything? It won't add to your knowledge, so why ask? Other than to delay the inevitable, that is."

"I mere wished to enlighten you to the being whom you're about to meet," said Ansem.

"What?" Insano asked. At that moment, Stitch shouted something in his own alien language and jumped onto the lunatic's back, startling the madman.

"What is this?" Insano shouted, "get off of me!"

"Bad science man!" shouted Stitch as he skittered across Insano's shoulder and glared at him, "Stitch stop you from hurting Ansem friend!" He then grabbed Insano's goggles, pulling them away from the lunatic's face, stretching the elastic band to its fullest, then letting go. The goggles snapped back onto Insano's face, earning a cry of pain from the madman. He dropped the blaster and clutched at his face. Stitch then jumped to the floor and grabbed the blaster.

By then Insano recovered and glared at Stitch, "you miserable little mutant! Give that back to me, right now!"

"Uh-uh!" said Stitch, "it's mine now!" Stitch then giggled happily as he ran to the far side of the room with the blaster.

"I'll fix you!" shouted Insano as he aimed his gloved hands at Stitch, "eat finger lasers!" but before he could shoot his beams, Yuna flew down and kicked Insano in the back of the head.

"Get him, girls!" shouted Yuna as she kicked Insano again. Rikku and Paine flew down and attacked Insano, with Rikku kicking the madman in the ribs, while Paine punched him in the shins!

"You little pests!" shouted Insano as he hopped around in pain, "I'll crush you like bugs!"

"You'll have to catch us, you psycho!" said Paine as she and her fellow treasure fanatics flew circles around Insano.

"Die!" shouted the madman as he wildly fired his finger beams at The Gullwings, but the treasure seekers were too fast and agile for the lasers, easily dodging them.

But Ansem, Cloud, Tifa, Cid and Aerith weren't so fast or agile. They were forced to take cover underneath the computer terminal to avoid the wild beams.

"Who's idea was this?" Cid shouted as one beam came too close for comfort.

"Tron!" Ansem shouted, "defense mode!"

"Activating shields!" Tron said. A force field appeared around the computer, protecting Ansem and the others.

"We're safe for now," said Ansem as he and the others relaxed, "now, as to your question, Cid, I believe our dear little friend is responsible for this plan."

They looked and saw that Stitch had opened up the blaster and was reconfiguring some of the wires inside. Smiling and nodding at his work, he closed up the blaster and tossed it back to Insano, "you want it! You keep it!"

The Gullwings then flew away from Insano as the madman picked up the blaster. He glared hatefully at Stitch, then at the Gullwings as the three treasure hunters hovered over the little alien.

"Alright, you meddling pests," said Insano in an irate tone, "you want to die so badly, you have my blessing," he then pointed the blaster at Ansem, "but first thing's first! Time to put this old geezer in his grave! That force field may protect you from my finger beams, but not my blaster!"

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," said Ansem.

"You're not me!" said Insano, "and you shall be no more!" he then pulled the trigger and the blaster exploded.

Insano cried out in agony as he stumbled backwards, clutching at the mangled and burned remains of his right hand.

"I warned him," said Ansem as he deactivated the force field.

"What did you do, Stitch?" Aerith asked as the little blue alien and the Gullwings came over.

"Stitch only switch the red wire with the blue one," said the little alien, "and a few others."

"A good rule of thumb," said Yuna, "when dealing with weapons of mass death, never cross the wires."

"Unless you wish to lose a hand," said Rikku.

"And how," said Paine. She, Rikku, Yuna and Stitch all did a group high-five.

"So now, my former colleague," said Ansem to Insano, whom had collapsed to the floor in shock and pain, "it appears that the shoe is on the other foot."

"Oh, spare me your vindicated retorts, old man," said Insano in a slightly unsteady but still vicious tone, "it ill behooves you."

"He's right on this, Ansem," said Tifa, "we shouldn't waste time talking."

"Let's just kill him now and be done with it," said Cloud.

"Normally I'm against murder," said Aerith, "but today I'll make an exception. That madman is too dangerous to live."

"I agree," said Ansem as he looked at Insano, "I should have destroyed him when I had the chance. I made a mistake, one that nearly cost the lives of my friends and myself today. But no more. Goodbye, my old friend."

At that Insano laughed madly, but also wickedly this time, "you think you've defeated me, old man?" he asked as he stood up, "I haven't survived decades in that digital dungeon just to be defeated by you impudent insects!"

"Are you crazy or something?" Rikku asked, "you just had your hand blown up!"

"He's completely delusional," said Paine.

"But there is method to my madness," said Insano as he used his remaining intact hand to pull a small object from his coat pocket, something that looked like a car remote. "you missed this when you searched me before throwing me into the digital dungeon, Ansem. It activates my own stealth gummy ship which has been in high orbit around this world all this time!" he giggled insanely, "and now, it shall take me away to a prepared place, from which I shall launch a new rein of terror! You may have one this battle, Ansem the Wise, but it shall be I, Doctor Insano, whom shall win the war!" he pressed the button.

"No!" shouted Ansem as a transporter beam surrounded Insano, "stop him!"

"Bye bye!" laughed Insano as he beamed out.

"Where did he go?" Cloud asked.

"Tron!" said Ansem, "track that maniac!"

"Standby," said Tron, "I'm resetting all the programs he corrupted…there, the programs for the antidote, the town defense system and the tracking program for Sora and the others are now fully operational again."

"Never mind that," Ansem insisted, "where did that lunatic go?"

"Running execution," said Tron, "I'm picking up a decloaking gummy ship in high orbit. It's hyper drive is powering up."

"Can't you stop it?" Aerith asked.

"Shoot it down or something!" Yuna insisted.

"Too late," said Tron, "the ship just entered hyperspace. It's masked it's engine signature, I'm sorry but I can't track it."

At that Ansem sighed in a defeated tone, "then a new threat has been unleashed upon the realms, one greater than Maleficent and Xehanort combined."

"I can't believe it," said Aerith, "how could he have gotten away like that?"

"It doesn't matter," said Ansem, "he's gone and there's nothing any of us can do to stop him. But we can help our friends," he looked at the computer, "Tron, bring up Sora and the others on the main screen."

The view screen showed the blue dots that represented Sora and the others, surrounding the large red dot that was Zerlina.

"They're still fighting the vampire queen," said Tifa, "Cloud, we've got to get down there and help them!"

"You don't have to tell me twice," said Cloud. He looked at Ansem, Cid and Aerith, "you'll be alright without us?"

"Just get going, already!" said Cid, "and pull Sora and the others out from the fire."

"We'll guide you from here," said Ansem.

"Right," said Tifa. With that she and Cloud ran out of the room.

"I hope they'll make it in time," said Aerith, "I'm afraid Sora and the others are going to need all the help they can get."

"They'll need more than that," said Cid, "but what about that maniac?"

"My former comrade is most likely heading for the deepest, darkest hole to hind in until he's ready," said Ansem, "he won't be giving us any trouble any time soon, so we have time."

"For what?" Aerith asked.

"To prepare for Insano's return," said Ansem, "for when he returns, he will unleash horrors upon the realms the likes of which not even Maleficent, Gideon and Xehanort could think of."

* * *

"So you defeated one of my transformations," said Zerlina, "I still have a few more cards to play."

"What cards?" Aiden asked.

"Cards in the game of life," said Zerlina, "or rather, unlife," she then laughed madly as her body began to change again. Her claws grew to the length of steak knives, while spikes grew out of the back of her hands, while a second pair of arms with spiked hands and knife-like claws grew below the original pair. At the same time another pair of eyes grew above her first pair.

"Now you shall all experience the pain!" said Zerlina. She rushed at our heroes, slashing her knife-like claws at Kairi, who barely avoided being sliced to ribbons.

Zerlina then slashed at Sora, forcing him to fall back, then slashed at Riku. This time her claws scored long cuts in his armor and knocking him down. Tess then rushed at Zerlina, who then delivered a spiked backhand attack to Tess' chest plate and knocked her to the ground, her armor dented where she was hit.

Rita rushed at Zerlina, but the mutated vampire grabbed Rita and threw her across the area onto Reina, knocking the two of them to the ground.

"Now can we use the flamethrower?" Ben asked as he watched Zerlina pick Aiden up and threw him across the room.

"Not yet," said Guy, "wait for the right moment."

"In the meantime, we can use these now," said Cassie as she picked up her crossbow, aimed and fired it at Zerlina, but missed.

Zerlina then grabbed both Sora and Kairi and slammed the two of them together, then grabbed Riku and delivered a right cross to his head, severely damaging his helmet and knocking him to the ground, then kicked Tess in her shoulder, again damaging her armor.

"What's with Zerlina now?" Reina asked, "she's gotten a whole lot stronger now."

"Her strength has increased exponentially," said Danna as she loaded her crossbow, "but she had to give something up," she aimed her crossbow at Zerlina as she grabbed Roxas and held him above his head, threatening to rip him apart, "defense, I'll bet." She pulled the trigger and the bolt hit Zerlina just left of the Wamphyri Lady's twisted heart.

But when the bolt hit her, Zerlina let out a strangled grunt and dropped Roxas and nearly lost her balance.

"What happened to her?" Sora asked as he and Riku helped Roxas back up.

"I was right," said a vindictively smiling Danna as she reloaded her crossbow, "she increased her attack power but her defense has decreased."

"Then let's hit her hard and hit her fast!" said Aqua as she rushed in and delivered a hard slash to the vampire's torso, followed by a Blizzard spell that knocked her down.

Riku and Tess threw their Keyblades at Zerlina as she tried to get back up, knocking the Wamphyri down again, followed by two more Strike Raids from Sora and Kairi, with Roxas delivering a double Keyblade strike to her torso, slicing off the extra arms, while The King shot a Fire spell that burned out Zerlina's eyes.

"Now is the right time?" Ben asked, "my trigger finger is getting itchy."

Just then Zerlina jumped back onto her feet and leapt to the far side of the area. To our heroes shock, her wounds regenerated and she resumed her normal shape.

"Well now," said Zerlina as she bent her neck to one side, earning a crack from the bones in her upper spine, "this has grown quite interesting, don't you all think?"

"Interesting isn't what I had in mind," said Quistis as she coiled her whip.

"You can't beat us, Zerlina!" said Rita, "no matter what you throw at us, we'll catch it and throw it right back at you!"

"Assuming I don't catch you and rip your head off first!" said Yuffie.

"Can you?" Zerlina asked in a taunting tone, "can you? I wonder, just how thirsty are you by now? How much longer can you endure the burning in your throat before you forfeit your humanity and give in to your vampyric desires?"

"I'll never give up my humanity!" shouted Yuffie, "I'll never turn on my friends just to drink their blood. Besides," she stubbornly crossed her arms, "I'm not that thirsty."

"Then you're a disgrace to all Wamphyri!" snapped Zerlina, "all Wamphyri live to satisfy their desires. What we want, we take, be it blood, treasure, pleasures of the flesh or just power, if we want it we take it. It's what we are."

Zerlina then saw that Yuffie was looking at her strangely, "what? Are you going to argue how instant gratification is wrong and should be restrained, that helping others is better than satisfying your own needs? Then you're just as weak as a human. All humans are weak and pathetic, always sacrificing themselves for the sake of others, and for what? Sacrificing your own needs only makes you suffer, so why bother?

"I'll answer it for you! Because you're a pathetic species whose only worth is to satisfy the needs of those better than them! Is that what you want, Yuffie? To be an altruistic slave to those who only see you as little more as someone to satisfy their needs?"

"That's not it," said Yuffie, "that's not why I hold on to my humanity."

At that Zerlina smiled insidiously, "then perhaps it's friendship, or dare I say, love? Both are only illusions. All humans use each other for their own needs. Friends constantly betray and humiliate each other, always setting them up to take a fall or to use them in one way or another.

"And love, I could rant about the lies of love all day! Love is just a mask to hide lust and sexual gratification, that is the love between man and woman. And love between parents and children, children only pretend to love their parents so they will be taken care of, while parents lie to their children so they will obey and take care of them in turn when they are no longer able to take care of themselves. Is that what you're denying your immortality for? The lies of love?"

"It's partly for friendship and love," said Yuffie, "but there's still more."

"Then what is it?" Zerlina demanded, "why, damn you? Why do you hold on to your humanity? Why do you fight against your new nature? Why! Tell me! Why!"

At that Yuffie smiled confidently, "because I choose to."

"That's a good reason," said Riku, while the others nodded in agreement.

At that Zerlina began shaking with rage, "you choose to be human? You choose! Well, you chose absolute death!" her body began mutating a third time.

"Now what is she becoming?" Reina asked.

As if to answer, black, leather-like pseudo flesh sprouted from her arms, while the rest of her body became more streamline, while large claws grew from her feet and the claws on her hands sharpened even further.

"Here's what your choice will get you!" shouted Zerlina. She then jumped up and took flight, zooming across the room almost too fast for our heroes to see. Zerlina then shot past Yuffie, delivering a claw strike to Yuffie's neck that severed her carotid artery. She fell to the floor with a strangled gurgle as her lifeblood pulsed out from her neck.

"Yuffie!" shouted Leon as he rushed over, but then had to dodge another zooming strafing strike from Zerlina, barely missing the razor-sharp claws and was forced to fall back away from Yuffie.

"We've got to get to her!" said Kairi, "she's going to bleed to death." She then ducked from a sudden claw strike from Zerlina.

"Can't her Wamphyri powers heal her?" Quistis asked, "I mean, if Zerlina can regenerate, why can't Yuffie?"

"Her powers aren't fully mature," said Danna, who then ducked from a claw strike, "don't ask me how it works, but Yuffie doesn't have the same regenerative powers as Zerlina."

"Then there's only one chance," said Sora, "our blood."

"If one of us can get to her and make her drink our blood," said Cassie, "she'll begin healing and turn back into human."

"But will that work?" Riku asked, "we saved Lara, but she was only a Lieutenant, while Yuffie's a full Wamphyri Lady."

"We can only try," said Guy as he rolled up his sleeve. He then ducked a claw strike, "assuming we can even get close to her."

"That's what she's doing!" said an irate Rita as Reina shot a fireball at Zerlina but missed, "she's keeping us away from Yuffie so we can all watch her die!"

"I'll rip that undead bitch a new one!" shouted Reina as she threw another fireball and missed again.

"She's too fast!" said Ben, "I'm not even going to ask about the flamethrower, I'll probably miss."

"Look!" said Aiden, "Yuffie isn't bleeding as much!"

Indeed, the wound in Yuffie's neck had closed up somewhat, but she was still losing blood.

"Her healing power is starting to assert itself," said Danna, "but without fresh blood to replenish her strength, she can only slow down her death."

"Then we've got to slow down Zerlina somehow!" said King Mickey as he, Donald, Aqua and Roxas all shot Blizzard and Stop spells at Zerlina, but the flying Wamphyri Lady was too fast for their magic.

"Her attack power is definitely lower than before," said Danna, "but her speed exponentially makes up for it. She could inflict a lot of minor wounds and we wouldn't be able to block her, she's so fast."

"Death by a thousand cuts," said Reina as she barely ducked a claw strike, "yep, we're in trouble now."

"I don't get it," said Tess, "where is Zerlina getting all of her power?"

At that Zerlina landed atop the platform, "you miserable mortals! I, whom have lived for centuries, whom have witnessed the rise and fall of entire nations, whom have feasted on the blood of hundreds of thousands, have unlimited stores of energies built up during my life, waiting for my use. I have inexhaustible power to call upon, making me nigh invincible!

"Invincible my eye!" shouted Tifa as she jumped into the area and rushed at Zerlina.

"Another pathetic hero with a death wish?" Zerlina asked, "then I shall grant it!" she then took flight and zoomed at Tifa, her claws ready for the kill.

Just then Sora heard a familiar shout and something rushed at Zerlin from the side, something that turned out to be Cloud, his oversized Buster Sword raised to slice into the mutated Wamphyri. Zerlina jumped out of the way, only to avoid a high kick from Tifa, who followed up with a triple combination punch to the head, which Zerlina avoided.

"Who are these guys?" Reina asked.

"Friends," said Sora.

"Then they're friends of ours," said Rita.

"And very welcome to the battle," said Leon as he rushed over to Yuffie. By now the bleeding in her neck had slowed down to barely a trickle but she was still very weak.

"Which one is she going to drink?" Kairi asked.

"I already volunteered," said Guy as Leon and Quistis helped Yuffie sit up. He then held out his exposed wrist to Yuffie.

"You have to drink his blood, Yuffie," said Sora, "it's the only way."

"No," muttered Yuffie, "I won't drink blood. I won't become a monster."

"You're badly hurt, Yuffie," said Kairi, "it's alright. Guy's blood will heal you and turn you human again."

"I'm already immune to the Wamphyri pathogen," said Guy, "my blood can cure you."

"Trust me, Yuffie," said Aiden, "I made the antidote, it'll work, believe it."

Yuffie then looked at Leon, "will it work?" she asked him.

"I honestly don't know," said Leon, "but if you don't get any blood into you to restore your strength…I don't even want to think about losing you."

"Gee," said Yuffie as she smiled at Leon, "I didn't even know you cared."

"I've lost too many friends already," said Leon, "I don't want to lose any more."

"Does that mean you'll go looking for your former friends?" Quistis asked hopefully.

"I already said I'd see if the Selphie that Sora knows is the same one we know," said Leon irately, so don't push your luck," he then looked at Yuffie, "just do it, already! Do it and live."

"I hate it when you put your foot down," said Yuffie in a reluctant tone, "okay, I'll do it." With her hands shaking, she reached up, grabbed Guy's arm, brought it to her moth and bit into his veins. He grunted in pain as Yuffie began drinking his blood.

After a few swallows, Yuffie pushed Guy away from her and burped, her lips slightly stained red.

"Are you alright?" Kairi asked both Yuffie and Guy, while Cassie pulled a roll of gauze from a first aid kit and bandaged Guy's arm.

"I feel like I'm going to throw up," said a highly discomforted sounding Guy.

"That's just the drop in blood volume," said Danna, "and I'm not detecting any sign of the infection in you; you're safe."

"But what about Yuffie?" Leon asked.

Sora and the others looked and saw that the wound in Yuffie's neck had completely healed and her strength was returning, but she was still a vampire.

"The blood healed her," said a concerned Danna, "but…she's still a full Wamphyri Lady."

"And now one who's had her first taste of human blood," said Riku in a grave tone.

At that Yuffie stood up and looked at our heroes with a deep, depraved hunger in her red eyes, "I don't mean to sound rude, everyone, but right now you all look and smell very, very tasty."

"No!" shouted Leon, "fight it, Yuffie! Fight for your humanity!"

"Remember who you are!" said Cassie, "remember your sanity and your heart!"

"Remember your name," said Rita, "tell us your name."

"My name?" Yuffie asked hesitantly, "I..my name is Yuffie Kisaragi, of the clan Wutai." She then smiled confidently and looked at Zerlina, glaring defiantly as the Wamphyri who sought to turn her into a monster, "I am Yuffie Kisaragi, a kunoichi and mystery ninja of the clan Wutai! My father is the clan chief! I sometimes get motion sickness! I am a member of what's now the Radiant Garden Restoration Committee. My best friend is Leon, and I love all my friends, but most of all, I am a human being, now and forever!"

At that Zerlina shouted in fury and rushed at Yuffie, hell-bent on ripping her head off. But then Tifa got in front of Yuffie.

"_Katchu Tenshin Amagruiken_!" shouted Tifa just as Zerlina got within striking range. She then delivered hundreds of punches inside a few seconds, stopping the mutated vampire in midair. When Tifa was finished with her attack, she jumped back and Zerlina fell to the ground, only to have Cloud jump up and deliver a slashing attack that severed her left arm.

"Do it now, Ben!" shouted Guy, "torch the bitch!"

"Suck on this, mother-fraker!" shouted Ben as he pulled the trigger on the flamethrower, dousing Zerlina with burning gasoline. The undead queen wailed in agony as the fire began consuming her.

Ben kept his finger on the trigger, pouring more and more fire onto the Wamphyri Lady, until finally the tank was empty. He still had his finger on the trigger, not knowing that he was out of ammo, until Danna placed a reassuring hand on his arm. He looked at her, blinking out of his battle fugue and lowing the nozzle of the flame thrower.

"How'd you learn Ranma's signature move?" Sora asked Tifa.

"Your friend isn't the only one who learned how to pull roasting chestnuts out of an open fire without burning your hand," said Tifa confidently.

"Then is it over?" Leon asked as our heroes watched the still blazing fire that had completely blocked Zerlina's body from view.

"I won't be satisfied until I see her ashes," said Rita, while Reina nodded in agreement.

"We still have to find a way to cure Yuffie," said Aiden, "why didn't the antidote work?"

"It's my parasite," said Yuffie in a slightly strained tone, "I…can feel it, working to keep me undead. It accepted Guy's blood but blocked the antidote."

"We'll have to find a way to get it out of you," said Kairi.

Just then Danna gasped in shock, "I think we've got bigger problems!"

At that the fires covering Zerlina flashed out of existence, only to be replaced by an enormous dark purple aura, from which came a roar of pure rage.

"I think we may have made her mad," said a nervous Sora.

* * *

"Is it that obvious?" Cassie asked.

"Good god!" said Cid as he, Aerith and Ansem looked at the computer screen as the red mark that represented Zerlina increased in size and brightness.

"Her energy output just increased by factor 3!" said Ansem, "wait, now it's factor 4, factor 5, it's still going up!"

"What does it mean?" Aerith asked.

"It means that Sora and the others are in way over their heads," said Cid, "that does it. I'm gonna pump that cave full of gas vapors and burn that queen vampire!"

"No! Sora and the others are still in there," said Aerith, "there's got to be another way we can help them."

Just then Tron spoke, "Ansem, the first batch of the antidote is complete. I have enough to inoculate every human on the world, the doses just need to be dispersed into ampoules for the hospitals."

"Wait," said Ansem, "I have an idea," he looked at Cid, "one that will partly involve your plan."

"What do you mean?" Cid asked, "wait…the pipes!"

"Pump the antidote into the chamber as a gas," said Aerith, "it'll immunize the rest of Sora's friends and choke the vampire queen!"

"How long will it take to set the pumps up?" Ansem asked.

"Just give me the antidote," said Cid, "I'll get it set up in a heartbeat!"

* * *

"She's mutating again!" said Danna as our heroes shielded their eyes from the intense indigo light that was emanating from Zerlina.

"But into what?" Kairi asked.

As if to answer, the light abruptly faded out and our heroes were horrified at what Zerlina had become. Her whole body had increased in height and width, with an increased muscle mass that rippled with raw strength, while her body was covered with coarse black fur. Her arms and legs ended in 16in claws that pulsed with dark energy, while her head had become more animalistic; her face was elongated like a wolf and had bat-like ears, while her moth had fangs that dripped with snake venom. She had also grown a spiked tail and black, bat-like wings.

"By the gods!" exclaimed a horrified Aiden, "what a monster!"

Zerlina then roared again and rushed at Aiden almost faster than he could react. He barely got his Keyblade up in time to block a claw strike, but the sheer power of the strike knocked him across the room. He landed so hard his armor deactivated and he passed out.

"Aiden!" shouted Riku and Tess, but then Zerlina rushed up and slashed at Riku. He blocked the claw strike with his Dark Shield, but the power behind those claws broke through the shield and another claw strike sent him flying. He fell to the ground hard enough to deactivate his armor and break his left arm.

Tess tried to stab Zerlina but her Keyblade glanced off of the creature's hide as if it were an impenetrable wall. Zerlina then backhanded Tess across the room so hard that her armor deactivated before she hit the ground, fracturing her ankle.

"We're screwed now," said a terrified Danna, "now her attack, defense and speed are all so high…I can't even get a measure on it."

"That's because I have infinite power!" said Zerlina, her voice reverberating with dark energy, "I have unleashed my stores of energies to achieve my ultimate form! Your fates are sealed!"

"That'll be the day!" shouted Yuffie as she threw her oversized shuriken, while Cloud and Tifa attacked from the left and Leon and Quistis attacked from the right.

But Zerlina vanished, appearing behind each of the heroes and slashing at them, cutting into their skin and knocking them all to the ground, their wounds pulsating with the same dark energy as Zerlina's claws.

"My essence flows through you now," said Zerlina, "in a short time, you'll be my new Thralls."

"Not if we kill you first!" said Sora as he, Roxas, Donald, The King and Aqua all shot fireballs at Zerlina, who deflected the flames with a dark energy shield.

"You think you still have a chance, don't you," said Zerlina. Her wings then flexed and she rose into the air, "look upon me, you measly mortals, for I am your new god!" She then laughed manically.

"You're no god!" said Rita as she and her sister stood defiantly before the mutated Wamphyri.

"You're just another monster that needs to be destroyed," said Reina, "and we'll be the ones to do it!"

"You want to try?" Zerlina asked, "then try! I made you suffer before, but now you're suffering shall be legendary, even in hell!"

"Not this year!" shouted both twins. Rita charged at Zerlina, while Reina prepared a spell. But then Zerlina rushed up to them before they could attack, the twins barely dodging their slashing claws.

"This can't go on!" said Kairi, "we've got to figure out something!"

"And fast," said Aiden as he hurried over, while Riku helped a limping Tess over with his good arm.

But then Danna managed to fire her crossbow and hit Zerlina in the Wamphyri's left eye. The mutated vampire roared in agony and ripped the crossbow bolt out of her eye, then rushed at Danna, who barely avoided the creature's gnashing fangs, only to be cut on her arm by Zerlina's claws.

"Now you are mine!" Zerlina, who them focused her evil eyes on Cassie, "and you, Necroscope, you shall be mine as well!"

"Bull crap!" shouted Guy as he threw his knife at Zerlina, who caught it and broke the blade like it was a twig. Zerlina then ran up to Guy and bit his right hand off, then tossed him to the ground, then slashed Ben across the face.

"No more distractions," said Zerlina as she stalked towards Cassie, whom was backing away from the mutated vampire in absolute terror.

Just then the twins looked as if they had been thunderstruck.

"What's wrong?" Sora asked.

"I think I just remembered something," said Reina, "something very important."

"Me too," said Rita.

"Will it help us right now?" Kairi asked.

At that Reina and Rita smiled at each other, "oh yes," they both said.

"Then whatever it is, do it," said Aiden, "for the love of the gods, do it!"

"Then let's do it," said an eager Rita. She looked at her sister, "you ready?"

"Willing and able," said a grinning Reina.

They both then raised their arms and shouted in fury, shouts that became dragon roars.

Reina was then surrounded by blue flames and her twin by red flames. This caught the attention of everyone, including Zerlina, who lost her focus on Cassie, allowing the terrified esper to get away from the mutated vampire, running over to Sora and Kairi.

"Now what?" Tess asked.

There then came the shout of two dragon roars. From the red flames shot a red Peruvian Vipertooth and from the blue flames flew a blue Norwegian Ridgeback. The two dragons then growled defiantly at Zerlina.

"Did you know that they could turn into dragons?" an astonished Sora asked Cassie.

"Not a clue," said an amazed Cassie, while everyone else looked equally astonished

The two dragons then took flight and charged at Zerlina, who also roared in fury and flew at the twins. They met in midair with a horrific crash and began tearing into each other with fangs and claws, while the twins breathed fire onto the mutated vampire.

"I think they'll be busy for a while," said Aiden, "and we've got other things to deal with."

"Everyone that Zerlina infected," said Kairi, "they'll turn into Thralls if we don't cure them."

"Just give me a second to make some blood transfusion equipment," said Aiden as he drew a transmutation circle on the ground, while gathering some rocks with his free hand.

"I don't think we'll have time for that," said a nervous Roxas as everyone looked up and saw Zerlina slash Reina's wings, then break Rita's right wing, forcing them both to the ground. The two dragons were covered in claw slashes and bites, their scaled bodies bleeding heavily, while Zerlina was barely marred.

"Hey, Aiden?" Sora asked as Zerlina landed and stalked towards the twins, "do your gods accept prayers from non believers?"

"I honestly don't know," said Aiden, "but I agree, now would be a good time to pray for a miracle."

* * *

"The pumps are all hooked up!" said Cid as he dumped the antidote into the pumping system.

"Then do it, man!" said Ansem, "flood the chamber with the antidote!"

"Do it now!" shouted Aerith.

Cid then pushed a big red button that turned the pumps on, sending the antidote through a system of pipes and fans that mixed it with water vapor, creating a curing gas that flowed through the pipe system all the way down to the chamber below.

* * *

Just then our heroes heard a hissing sound from above. They looked up and saw the gas pour in from the pipes.

"What's that?" Cassie asked as the gas began to fill the chamber.

"A poisoned gas attack?" Riku asked in an exasperated tone, "that would just make my day."

"No," said Aiden as he sniffed the air, "it's not poison, it's my antidote! The others back up top must have turned it into a gas," he then looked rather taken aback, "I should have thought of that, it's my formula after all."

"Never mind that," said Cassie, "I think it's working."

Sure enough, the gas, once making contact with Leon, Cloud, Tifa, Quistis, Ben, Danna and Guy, extinguished the dark energy from their wounds, removing the Wamphyri pathogen from their bodies.

"We're okay," said Danna as she and the others got back up, "I mean, we're still hurt, but we're no longer in danger of becoming vampires, and I was already immune to begin with, so why did I have to worry?"

"At least you've still got your face," said Ben as he clutched at his bleeding cheek, while Cassie rushed over to help Guy, who was still missing his hand.

Sora then saw Yuffie bend over and clutch at her stomach as if she was about to throw up. She retched, then vomited up a long, red, snake-like creature that turned out to be the real vampire. The red leach thrashed about in agony as the antidote gas poisoned its body. It then gave one last convulsion and lay still, dissolving into slime.

In an instant, Yuffie's body returned to normal. She then gasped in exhaustion and fell to the ground.

As for Zerlina, she was coughing and thrashing about in agony.

"She's losing all her stored energies," said a vindictively smiling Danna.

By then the twins had recovered from their wounds and took flight again. The two dragons circled the thrashing Zerlina and dove down, tackling the mutated vampire to the floor. They then slashed at Zerlina's torso, cutting her open and exposing the giant red leach that was the real vampire. Reina and Rita then reared back and breathed a double burst of dragon fire right at the leach. It let out a horrible screech as it was incinerated. The fire then spread throughout the rest of Zerlina and she was completely burned to ashes, then the ashes were burned, leaving nothing of the hated Wamphyri Lady.

"Now is it over?" Ben asked as he and the others all stood together.

Reina and Rita then landed in front of them and with a double flash of red and blue fire, returned to their human forms, "yes," they both said with joyful smiles, "it's over."

**The end of chapter 10.**

_But the story isn't over yet, fellow readers and writers, so stay tuned!_


	11. Epilog: Moving to the Future

**Epilog: Moving to the Future**

...Radiant Garden...

"So you remembered that you have the power to turn into dragons," said Sora to Reina and Rita as all of our heroes emerged from the underground tunnels and into brightly lit Market.

"That's so awesome that you can do that!" exclaimed Yuffie.

"It is," said Reina in a happy but concerned tone, "it would be even more awesome if we can remember how we got this power."

"It felt like it was part magic," said Rita, "a lot of magic, but there's more. Reina and I remember that we have the power and how to use it, but neither of us remember how we got it or where it came from."

"You do know what this means, right?" Guy asked as he felt the stump of his right arm with his left hand, the wound having been healed by Kairi, long with everyone else's wounds, but the severed hand was nowhere to be found in the chamber.

"Enlighten us," said Rita in an annoyed tone.

"Don't bother," said Reina, "I can guess. The Boss is going to want us tested all over again. That means being poked and prodded by E-Branch scientists for who knows how long."

"If going back to E-Branch HQ means being dissected, then I don't want to go back!" said Rita as she stubbornly crossed her arms.

"You won't be dissected," said Cassie, "I give you my word. I'll talk to Lancaster Lawrence when we get back to our world."

"And if he doesn't listen," said Ben, "if he insists on handing you over to the scientists, he'll have to go through me first."

"And me," said Guy, "just as soon as I get my new hand."

"I still don't get what happened to your original hand," said Kairi, "Zerlina didn't eat it, so where did it go?"

"I guess it's one of those things," said Guy.

Cassie then used the blackberry that Lancaster Lawrence gave the team and activated the multi-dimensional transponder, "this will tell the blokes back home to open the portal for us.

"Do you really have to leave so soon?" Sora asked, "we just won."

"All the more reason to get back to HQ," said Guy, "The sooner we report that Zerlina's gone for good, the better for everyone."

"Will we ever see you again?" Riku asked.

"Maybe," said Cassie, "there's a lot of evil in reality, evil that can cross from one universe to another. You'll never know what will happen."

"So it's only goodbye for now," said Reina. With that the two groups said their farewells, promising to stay friends.

"You will let us know if you recover any more of your memories," said Naminé to the twins, "if you remembered your power to become dragons, then there might be other memories in your heart that you'll rediscover."

"We can hope," said Rita, "but if what you said about our memories being stolen, then the answers Reina and I have been looking for are still out there. Whoever took them from us is going to pay."

"But we'll be sure to exhaust every other avenue before starting down the road of revenge," said Reina, "no more reckless paths for us."

"Good to know," said Sora.

But then Aiden looked at The King, "any chance I can have one of those magical crystals you gave Sora a while back? But make it a bigger one"

"Sure," said King Mickey as he gave Aiden a medium sized yellow crystal, "but what for?"

"So I can do this," said Aiden, "I just thought of a use for one of the transmutation formula in my head," he then placed the crystal on the ground, drew a transmutation circle around it and activated the circle. In a flash of alchemic energy, the crystal had become two smaller green crystals.

He then picked up the crystals and handed one to Rita. "I changed it so it'll act as a two-way radio," he said, "whenever you and your sister are ready, just give me a call and I'll be there."

"You'll wait for us?" Rita asked as she looked at the crystal, then at Aiden, "you'll wait until I get my issues worked out?"

"As long as it takes," said a confidently smiling Aiden.

At that Rita smiled and pocketed the crystal, "I promise you this, Aiden Mackenzie, you won't have long to wait."

"And when the time is right," said Reina, "you'll feel like you've gone to heaven."

Just then a portal back to the other Earth opened up.

"That's our way home," said Guy. He then looked at Sora and the others, "goodbye, and thanks for everything."

"We should be thanking you guys even more," said Kairi.

With a final, quick round of farewell's, the E-Branch group, Guy, Cassie, Ben, Danna, Reina and Rita, stepped through the portal, which vanished after them.

"Do you think we'll ever really see them again?" Tess asked.

"I honestly don't know," said Riku, "I hope so, for Aiden's sake."

"Scoring a future date with sizzling hot twins, awesome," said Yuffie.

"I haven't gotten with them yet," said Aiden, "they've got more than their fare share of problems. And you, are you sure you're all human again? Any lingering blood desires?"

"Not at all," said Yuffie, "I'm more hungry than thirsty right now, so when do we eat?"

Just then Aerith ran into the area, followed by Cid and Ansem, "you guys!" shouted Aerith, "you made it!"

"I told ya that it would work," said Cid, "pumping the antidote into the underground completely wiped that vampire witch from the map."

"So you did that," said an impressed Aiden.

"Sora, is the Wamphyri menace finally resolved?" Quistis asked.

"I really don't know," said Sora, "Zerlina's gone for good, but who knows how many more Wamphyri are out there?"

"If it's not resolved now, then it will be soon," said Ansem, "Tron has begun mass producing the antidote. Soon there will be enough to vaccinate all in the realms of light."

"Then this universe will be safe from becoming undead," said Leon, "that's awesome."

"I know something else that's awesome," said Sora.

* * *

A short time later found a portal opening up on the beach at Destiny Island. From it emerged Sora, Kairi, Riku, Aiden, Roxas, Naminé, Tess, Leon, Quistis and Yuffie.

"Are you sure about this?" Yuffie asked, "how can you be sure that this Selphie is the one Leon knew?"

"We won't know until we talk to her," said Sora, while Kairi sent out a text on her mobile.

A while later a boat from the mainland reached the island, on which was Selphie, Titus and Wakka, "I got the message, Kairi," said Selphie, "what's the emergency?"

"Does it have to do with all the crazy stuff you, Sora and Riku have been doing?" Titus asked.

"And is it going to interfere with Blitz Ball practice?" Wakka asked.

"It depends," said Riku.

At that Leon stepped forward, "Selphie? Is it really you?"

"You know this crazy guy, Selphie?" Wakka asked.

Selphie looked at Leon in a contemplative manner, "I…I'm not sure. I feel like I ought to know him," she looked at Quistis, "and her, I feel like I know them both from somewhere…but I can't remember."

"You may have forgotten," said Naminé as she pulled out her sketchpad and pencils, "but your heart still remembers." She then began sketching Selphie's face.

"What is this all about, Sora?" Titus asked.

"We're trying to reunite long lost friends," said Sora.

A minute or so later Naminé had finished her sketch, "now hold still," she said as she placed her hands on the sides of Selphie's head, "this won't hurt a bit." She then sent a pulse of magic into Selphie's mind. She gasped and nearly fell over, but Sora and Titus caught her before she hit the ground.

"What did you do to her, man?" Wakka demanded.

"I only brought her memories to bear," said Naminé, "and I'm no man."

"It's a figure of speech," said Kairi.

Just then Selphie blinked and stood up, "I…I remember. I remember!" she then looked at Leon and smiled brightly, "Squall! It's you!" she then ran up to Leon and happily hugged him and he hugged her back.

"What do you remember?" Sora asked.

"Everything," said Selphie, "I remember the old world, my training with SeeD, the battle of Dollet against Galbadia, my teaming up with Squall, Zell, and later on with Quistis, Rinoa and Irvine as we fought to save the world from that horrible time-obsessed sorceress, Ultimicia."

"Then you are the same Selphie," said Quistis, "I was right!"

"What are you talking about?" Titus asked.

"This Selphie and the one from our world are one and the same because of reincarnation," said Quistis, "the Selphie from our world disappeared when an experiment in time and space went horribly wrong."

"The last thing I remember from the old world was going to this lab to act as a security agent," said Selphie, "the scientists said something about a computer malfunction. There was this bright flash of light and a rush of wind, and then I'm reborn on this world."

"The accident happened less than three years ago," said Quistis, "the scientists called it a 'chronotron implosion,' in which Selphie's heart and soul was hurled back across time and space to this world, reincarnated as the Selphie who befriended Sora, Riku and Kairi."

"But what about us?" Titus asked, "she's our friend too!"

"What does this mean if she's reincarnated?" Wakka asked.

"That's right, what does it mean for me and everyone?" Selphie asked. She looked at Leon, "Squall, what happened while I was reliving my life?"

"A lot," said Leon, "and do call me Leon."

"We've begun planning a new SeeD Garden," said Quistis, "and if you want it, Selphie, you're welcome to join."

"Of course I'm joining," said Selphie, "you guys wouldn't have lasted half as long as you did if I weren't there to save your buts."

"Now wait just one minute here," said Titus, "just what is SeeD?"

"Elite mercenaries," said Selphie, "the best of the best. We help end wars and take part in covert operations, sometimes taking on seemingly impossible missions. It's all one big adventure."

"Adventure, you say?" Wakka asked, "Tell me more."

Selphie then told her two friends more about SeeD, with Leon and Quistis adding details here and there.

"I'd be lying if I said I wasn't interested," said Wakka.

"Me too," said Titus, "where do we sign up?"

"For what?" Kairi asked.

"For SeeD," said Wakka, "we want to join."

"Now hold on," said Riku, "if you're serious about this, then you should know that, from what I heard, being part of SeeD is almost as dangerous as being a Keyblade Wielder."

"Well you guys to it," said Titus.

"We were chosen by fate to wield Keyblades," said Tess, "it's who we are."

"You guys have a choice in this," said Aiden, "so think carefully about it."

"We did think it over," said Wakka, "and we want in."

"Are you absolutely sure about this?" Quistis asked.

"You betcha!" said Titus.

"Well," said Quistis thoughtfully, "we only just started planning the new Garden, "but…I don't see why these two potential soldiers can't at least sign the entrance application."

"Awesome!" said both Titus and Wakka.

"I think we may have opened the preverbal Pandora's Box," said Leon to Selphie.

"SeeD will never be the same with those two among us," said Selphie, "Assuming they actually graduate and become SeeD soldiers."

"Well, it's a brave new world for all of us," said Leon, "we might as well enjoy it."

* * *

…E-Branch H.Q., London, another Earth…

"And that's it, Boss," said Reina to Lancaster Lawrence as she, Rita, Guy and Cassie sat in the director's office, "Zerlina and all her undead offspring are gone for good."

"As stated in the official report, Boss," said Cassie.

"So I've been told by you all," said Lancaster Lawrence. He then looked at the twins with his one eye in an accusing manner, "and exactly when were you two going to tell me that you were shape shifters?"

"We only just remembered it at the last possible second to save Cassie from Zerlina," said Rita, "it's in the report. Are you accusing my sister and I of lying to you?"

"I'd very much like to," said an annoyed Lancaster Lawrence, "I thought we had established a level of trust, that we at E-Brach had welcomed you two into our family, and now I find that you two are more complicated than before."

"Then what are you going to do?" Reina asked, "sack us? Hand us over to the scientists to be dissected?"

"Whatever you're going to do," said Rita as she irately crossed her arms, "we won't go quietly."

"If you do anything to them," said Guy, "you'll have to go through me first, and just because I'm missing a hand," he held up his stump, "I can still be deadly."

"And I'll fight for them too!" said Cassie, "and whatever the consequences, I won't suffer much," she looked at Lancaster Lawrence, "you have your connections in Parliament and at 10 Downing Street, but I have connections with the royal family."

"I didn't know that," said an impressed Reina.

"Not many people know that I'm on very good terms with Kate Middleton," said Cassie, "excuse me, Her Royal Highness, Princess Catherine, and I know His Highness, Prince William."

"And I still have my RAF connections," said Guy, "so, Boss, what's it going to be?"

"I ought to sack you all for this," said Lancaster Lawrence, "this is blackmail, pure and simple. I ought to do more than sack you. I ought to throw you all in the deepest, darkest holes I can find, lock you in and throw away the key!" He then looked at the twins, "but first I hand you over for dissection."

He then sighed and sat down at his desk, "but I won't, I can't."

"Really?" Guy, Cassie and the twins all asked at the same time.

"You all are too valuable to E-Branch to simply cast aside," said Lancaster Lawrence, "and I can't lose your friendship," he then picked up a flash drive from his desk, "this is the only copy of your report?"

"That and the one on my computer," said Cassie.

"Erase it," said Lancaster Lawrence as he plugged the flash drive into a device that completely wiped it clean of data, "and type up a new one by tomorrow morning, one that had a more, 'believable' explanation of how you defeated Zerlina. Even if I did tell the higher ups in the government that Reina and Rita can become dragons, I doubt they'd believe me. Vampires and Necromancers, yes, but not dragons. We'll decide later who in E-Branch we'll tell about this ability of the twins so that they'll be able to fully use it, and perhaps recover more of their memories."

"Then the matter is closed?" Guy asked.

"Almost," said Lancaster Lawrence, "while you were away, I was given a rather odd message from Yukie Parker for the twins. She said that she regrets to disappoint you, but it may be some time before she can join you on a mission, that she had something else do to."

"What the hell does that mean?" Reina asked in a confused and irate tone.

"She was all irked about going on a mission," said Rita, "that she'd be with us even if she had to crawl there and drag her wheelchair on her back. What's she doing now?"

"I honestly don't know," said Lancaster Lawrence, "after she gave me the message, she shut herself in her laboratory and hasn't come out since, nor has she allowed anyone in, only allowing meals to be brought to the door. She even installed a fully functional, handicap bathroom and a bed in her lab."

"It must be serious," said Reina, "dead serious."

"Let's go see what's she's up to," said Rita, "if she won't let us in, we'll break the door down."

"You do that you'll have to fix it," said Lancaster Lawrence, but by then the twins were already out of his office.

"Those two are definitely an odd pair," said Guy, "god bless them."

"I just hope that when they do find their answers," said Cassie, "that the truth doesn't hurt them any more than they already have," she then looked at Guy, "and you, Guy Ellington, have a date with the prosthetic experts."

"My new hand," said Guy as he and Cassie walked out of the room, "I can hardly wait." They headed for another part of the complex, leaving Lancaster Lawrence to sit and think, pondering the future of E-Branch.

"What did he say?" Ben asked as he and Danna joined with the twins in the hallway.

"The Boss agreed to keep our shape shifting power in the dark for now," said Reina, "Anyone else who knows will be those who can be trusted to keep it a secret."

"But that's not important right now," said Rita, "what is, is finding out what Yukie has been up to while we were gone."

"We heard she's locked herself in her lab and hasn't come out," said Danna, "that she's refused all visitors. What makes you think she'll see you?"

"Besides the fact that we're best friends for life and that we're almost sisters," said Reina, "she'll let us in. I don't know about you two, but she'll see my sister and I."

They soon reached a door marked 'Special Projects Alpha Lab,' underneath was a sign that said 'No Admittance Whatsoever.'

"No admittance my eye," said Rita. She then knocked loudly on the door, "open up, Yukie! We know you're in there!"

"It's tax season," said Reina in a joking manner, "we're here for your annual audit!"

A few seconds later the door opened and Yukie stuck her head out, "I always pay my taxes on time," said Yukie, "that's not funny. Now leave me alone, I'm busy." She then closed the door and locked it.

"I don't believe this," said Reina in an astonished tone, "she's our best friend, and she shuts us out."

"Bull crap!" said Rita. She then knocked more forcefully, "just let us in, Yukie, we want to know what you're doing in there!"

"Too freaking bad!" said Yukie from behind the door, "I'm on the verge of a major breakthrough and the last think I need is to be distracted."

"Distracted?" Rita asked in an exasperated tone. She then glared irately at the door, "I'll give her a distraction!" she then prepared to kick the door down.

"Wait!" said Danna as she pulled out her wallet and from it a credit card, "if you break the door, you'll have to fix it," she then began trying to pick the lock with the credit card.

"That never works," said Ben.

Just then the locked clicked and the door opened, "you were saying?" Danna asked smugly as she pocketed her wallet.

The four of them walked into the lab, which contained advanced scientific machines and computers. They saw Yukie working at a large computer at the far end of the room. On the screen was a diagram of micro circuitry. Yukie then turned her head and saw the four intruders, "what the hell are you doing!" she exclaimed. She then pressed a button on the computer and a Flying Toaster screensaver activated.

She then irately wheeled herself over to Reina, Rita, Ben and Danna, "get out of here! You're going to jinx my project!"

"What are you talking about?" Ben asked.

"I'm saying it's bad luck for you to see what I'm working on before I'm ready to do show it to everyone else in E-Branch," said Yukie, "you're being here is going to ruin it! You're ruining it for me!"

"Ruining what?" Reina asked, "Yukie, just what are you doing?"

"If it's dangerous," said Rita, "then you shouldn't be doing it."

"Dangerous?" Yukie asked in a taken aback tone, "it's not dangerous at all. It's going to make me a whole person again."

"What are you talking about?" Reina asked.

At that Yukie sighed, "well, since you're already here, I might as well show you, jinx be damned. You're my friends, if anyone deserves to know, it's you guys," she then looked at Ben and Danna, "but what about you two? Can you be trusted not to tell anyone else?"

"Scout's honor," said Ben as he made the Boy Scout's sign.

"You were a Boy Scout?" Danna asked.

"No, but I was always prepared," said Ben in a joking tone.

"Whatever," said Yukie, "You want to know what I've been doing? Alright, I'll tell you. But there's stuff you need to know first."

"We're all ears," said Rita, while Reina, Ben and Danna nodded in agreement.

"Okay then," said Yukie, "back in the early 1990's, the city of Port Columbia was rife with crime; murder, robbery, rape, kidnapping, prostitution, gambling, underground fighting, extortion, gang warfare, corporate backstabbing, inside trading, a corrupt police force, you name the crime, it was done.

"One day a scientist decided that he had had enough. This was Dr. Miles Hawkins, a genius in technology. He had been accidentally shot during a riot and was paralyzed below the waist, just like me. But he didn't let being wheelchair bound drag him down at all. He continued his work and his company continued to produce advanced scientific products."

"You must admire him," said Danna.

"He's kinda my idol," said Yukie, "but that's not important. What is, is that Dr. Hawkins and his associate, Dr. John Stonebrake, combined their resources to produce a miracle. Stonebrake was working on a neural interface for a prototype flying car, while Dr. Hawkins was working on a powered exoskeleton to help disabled people live more normal lives. They put their two projects together to create a fully functional exo-suit that was controlled directly by human thought."

"That's incredible," said an impressed Rita, while Reina, Ben and Danna nodded in agreement.

"It gets better," said Yukie, "not only did the exo-suit allow Dr. Hawkins to walk again, it endowed him with great physical strength, speed, agility, and once modified with a few weapons, he used it to combat crime in his city, while adopting the vigilante name The M.A.N.T.I.S."

"M.A.N.T.I.S.?" Rita asked.

"Mechanically Augmented Neuro Transmitter Interception System," said Yukie, "as The M.A.N.T.I.S., Dr. Hawkins helped restore reason and justice to his city, combating normal crime and bizarre cases using advanced science. He eventually died while fighting an invisible dinosaur, I know, crazy, right? The exo-suit was destroyed and all the files pertaining to it were sealed by Dr. Stonebreak to prevent the technology from falling into the wrong hands."

Yukie looked at her hands, "I don't know about you, but my hands look pretty right," she then deactivated the screen saver on the computer, revealing the image of the micro circuitry, which then pulled back to reveal a complex diagram of an exoskeleton suit.

"Is that…?" Rita and Reina both asked at the same time.

"It is," said a happily smiling Yukie, "I found Dr. Hawkin's exo-suit, I found The M.A.N.T.I.S."

"You mean you're going to use this thing to walk again?" Danna asked.

"That and so much more," said Yukie, "as soon as I figure out just what Stonebreak and Dr. Hawkins did to make it work, I'll make my own suit. I'll be able to walk, run, climb, jump and most of all, I'll finally be able to actively help you all fight the forces of darkness."

"You're serious about this," said Rita, "are you?"

"I am," said Yukie, "The M.A.N.T.I.S. originally was to help Dr. Hawkins overcome his disability, but it became so much more. Out of one man's pain, rose a force for good to combat evil, and that's just what I'm going to do."

"If you're really going to do this," said Reina, "then we'll help you."

"We'd be sorry friends and almost sisters if we didn't help," said Rita.

"You might as well count us in," said Ben.

"We're here, aren't we?" Danna asked.

"That's awesome," said a smiling Yukie, "there's still a lot to do. I still can't quite figure out how Dr. Hawkins got the damn thing to work, but once I crack the code, I'll be living large, so large!"

"Well then," said Rita, "let's get to work on it. The sooner we finish, the sooner you'll be out of that wheelchair and out fighting evil."

* * *

Somewhere on the outer reaches of the realms of light, in a hidden laboratory on a small asteroid, Doctor Insano stood in front of a computer, typing with his remaining whole hand, while a metal drum-like machine, connected to the computer, pulsed with dark energy.

The pulsing grew brighter and faster, until finally a platform rose out of the machine and on it was a chrome colored, cybernetic hand.

Insano then walked over to another machine and stuck his ruined right hand into a circular slot. There was a high pitched whining from the machine as an syringe injected a anesthetic into his arm, completely numbing the arm below the elbow, and then there was a sizzling as a laser removed the ruined hand, cauterizing the wound.

Another machine then brought the cybernetic hand over and attacked it to the new stump, while micro surgery tools connecting the nerve endings to the hand.

In a few minutes the procedure was complete and Insano admired his new hand. He then placed a glove over it, one matching the one on his left hand.

"Perfect," said Insano, "and now that I am whole again, my rein of terror shall begin. Soon, oh so very soon, I shall rule the realms of light!" he then laughed madly again.

"You could," said Xehanort as he stood at the lab doorway, "you might just pull it off."

Insano whirled around and glared at Xehanort, "who are you? How did you find this complex!" He then raised his hands, ready to zap the intruder with finger lasers.

"Do you not recognize me?" Xehanort asked as he placed his hands behind his back and calmly walked into the lab, "I was a much younger man when Ansem the so called wise imprisoned you in his computer. I had a full head of hair back them."

At that Insano lowered his hands cautiously, "ah, yes, I remember you now, Xehanort," he then smiled wickedly, "you have changed, and according to the data streams, you've been a very naughty boy in recent years."

"Not as naughty as you were in your dimension," said Xehanort, "after Ansem locked you in the digital dungeon, I made a copy of your personal files, before he destroyed them. You've quite an impressive resume of evil; fooling an entire population into becoming president, taking control of a giant robot of mass destruction, your work in anti-magic field projectors, your schematics for an orbital death ray, fracturing hyper time, the list goes on."

"I admit, I am awesome," said Insano smugly, "but your plan to create the _X_-Blade is nonetheless impressive, not as impressive as my work, but still cool."

"But what truly fascinated me was the project you were working on when Ansem discovered your true self," said Ansem, "a truth I discovered for myself; you came to Radiant Garden after one of your inventions backfired during a battle with your nemesis; Linkara."

"That hat-wearing, comic book-reading twerp always ruins my plans for world domination!" snapped Insano, "and just when I had the perfect plan to destroy him, he and his friends show up before my invention, a fully functional History Eraser Button, was fully beta tested. I would have smashed Linkara so hard, it would have rendered him into quantum foam, leaving me free to rule the world!"

"But you pressed the button too soon," said Xehanort, "creating a rift in reality that sent you to the realms of light. You had a way back, a counter to the History Eraser Button, but you needed the resources to make it."

"I spent months slowly acquiring what I needed from Ansem's laboratory," said Insano, "secretly creating my own lab here, where he would never find it, and still hasn't. I have nearly everything I need to return to my world at the exact moment I left. This time I would be ready, ready to crush Linkara and his meddling friends once and for all!"

"It's unfortunate that you failed to acquire the two machine parts and the Unobtanium fuel to power the device," said Xehanort, "however, I may be able to help you out."

"For a price," Insano said accusingly.

"Naturally," said Xehanort. He then walked up to Insano, "I am putting together a dark group, a cabal dedicated to stomping out the meddling brats of the realms and realizing my dream of tapping into the power of Kingdom Hearts. I already have two powerful allies and are seeking out more, especially a financial expert, but I need another mind, a dark scientist capable of conceiving plans of terror an mass destruction on a more sophisticated level than those who rely on sheer brutality."

"I must admit," said Insano, "your offer is intriguing, but what's in it for me?"

"I can manufacture the parts your device needs," said Xehanort, "and get the 2,000 tones of Unobtanium needed to power said device. All I ask is that you act as my scientific advisor until you are ready to return to your dimension and time."

"Tempting," said Insano, "but there is one more thing I want."

"You want Ansem," said Xehanort.

"When the time comes to destroy that old fool," said Insano, "I want to be the one to do it. I want to make him suffer, as I have suffered for forty years, before he begs for death."

"When the time comes," said Xehanort, "he will be all yours," he then extended his right hand, "do we have an agreement?"

Insano then held out his new right hand and shook Xehanort's, "Yes, we have a deal." Yet as they shook hands, both villains were plotting on how to best betray the other at the best opportunity.

* * *

…Disney Castle…

"So you've had a mad scientist locked inside your computer all this time?" King Mickey asked Ansem, "why didn't you tell me?"

"Because, in my hubris," said Ansem in an ashamed tone, "I thought I had the lunatic contained. I designed the digital dungeon to hold Insano forever."

"Well, it didn't work," said Aqua in an annoyed tone, "now not only is Xehanort planning who knows what, we've this Doctor Insano running amuck, and who knows when Maleficent will make her comeback move?" She looked at The King, "you do know what this means, right?"

"Not only are things going to get a lot worse before they get better," said King Mickey, "it's going to make things very difficult for Sora in their training for the Mark of Mastery."

"I was also thinking that our search for Castle Oblivion would be that much harder as well," said Aqua, "but it's all true," she glared at Ansem, "how could have been so irresponsible? You knew that Insano was that, insane, yet instead of killing the maniac, you locked him away and forgot about him. Why didn't you destroy the psychopath when you had the chance?"

"I wish I did," said Ansem, "I wish I could turn back the clock and tell my younger self to do away with the monster when he could have. I know I should have destroyed him, but I considered Insano my friend, and he used a different name at the time. If he used his true name, I would have ended the monster then and there."

"What name did he use?" The King asked.

"I can't remember," said Ansem, "but that's not important right now. What is important, is helping Sora and his friends become Keyblade Masters as soon as possible."

"There's still so much for them to do," said Aqua, "so much for them to learn."

"I know," said The King, "as soon as they get back here, I'll get them started. I just hope that whatever the baddies are going to do, they don't do it just yet."

* * *

…The Castle of Dreams…

Penny Dubois happily waved goodbye to another group of satisfied customers at the doorstep of her shop, then turned and walked back inside. Since the Wamphyri menace had been defeated by Sora and the Keybalde Wielders, an ongoing holiday had broken out among the people, with Cinderella and Robert at the center of it all, joyfully celebrating the end of a rein of terror that had destroyed so many lives.

But the undead had been scourged from the world and all was well once again, and for young enterprising persons like Penny Dubois, business had never been better. Women from across the world had been visiting her shop to buy custom made dresses and Penny was only too happy to give her customers what they wanted.

With the shop empty for the moment, Penny was content to dust the counters and then go in back to take stock of how much fabric she would need later on.

But then she saw something shiny on the floor, something that turned out to be a small green marble with a hoop ring with a silver chain threaded through it.

Penny picked the item up, wondering if one of her customers had dropped it, for it certainly didn't belong to her. She thought about hurrying out to call back her last customers, then thought about placing an add in the local newspapers to see if anyone had lost it, or maybe just handing it over to the police.

Instead, as if on a whim, she walked over to her large mirror. Standing in front of the mirror, she placed the necklace around her neck and admired her reflection, seeing that it looked good on her.

But then the marble pulsed with a wicked green light. Alarmed, Penny tried to take the necklace off but she couldn't. It was as if the thing was glued to her skin.

She franticly tried to rip the necklace off as the marble pulsed faster and brighter, while a sinister laughed emanated from it. Now terrified, Penny grabbed a nearby pair of scissors and tried to cut the necklace off but to no avail. The laughter grew louder as the marble pulsed faster and faster, glowing so bright it was almost blinding.

The evil light from the marble then spread out, covering Penny from head to toe. She screamed in pain and terror as the light began absorbing itself into her body, boring itself straight for her heart. She collapsed from the overwhelming wickedness that was poisoning her inner being.

When the evil light had finished absorbing itself into her body and the gem stopped pulsing, retreating to a small vile glow, Penny slowly stood up.. She looked at her hands, then at the rest of herself, before looking at her reflection in the mirror, focusing on her eyes, which had become a pale, insidious yellow.

"Yes," said Maleficent's voice as it came from Penny's lips, "this will do quite nicely."

Her raven then hopped down from his hiding place in the rafters, landing on the possessed girl's shoulder, "you chose well, my pet. The girl, coming from a long line of weather witches, has more magical potential than she ever dared dream. She was content to be a simple shopkeeper, but I shall take her powers to a new height.

"Yes, this host is a fitting substitute, until I create a more permanent body." She admired her reflection, "I may keep it after all, if the mood strikes me, but that is for later," she then summoned a Dark Corridor, "come, my pet, there is work to be done." With that Penny, now possessed by Maleficent, walked with her raven through the Dark Corridor, which vanished after her.

* * *

…Disney Castle…a few days later…

"Glad you guys are all here and well rested," said King Mickey as he stood in front of Sora, Riku, Kairi, Aiden and Tess in the enormous Throne Room. At the side of The King was Donald, Goofy, Daisy and Queen Minnie.

"Glad to be here, Your Majesty," said Sora, while the others nodded in agreement, while inside his heart, Roxas nodded, while Naminé did the same inside Kairi's heart.

"I've good a lot of good news to tell, before we get down to business," said The King, "first of all, I heard from Ansem that he's made enough of Aiden's antidote to vaccinate everyone in The Realms of Light. It'll take a while, but soon everyone on the worlds will be safe from becoming a Wamphyri."

"Glad to know some of the alchemic stuff in my head actually works," said Aiden, "if I can just figure out the rest, there's hundreds of formulas in my mind that I have no idea what they're for."

"I've got a feeling that we'll find out sooner or later," said Riku.

"Speaking of later," said King Mickey, "Leon called. Construction for the new SeeD Garden has begun, while he's officially stated classes, with Quistis and Selphie as teachers."

"They've got it easy," said Tess, "they've only got two students."

"With Titus and Wakka, noting is ever easy," said Kairi.

"Actually," said Queen Minnie, "they have quite a few students by now. After hearing that there would be SeeD classes, over a dozen young men and women on Radiant Garden signed up, with more expected to join later on."

"That's awesome," said Sora.

"And now for the really good part," said King Mickey, "your training to become Keyblade Masters."

"We're ready to start," said Riku, while Sora, Aiden, Kairi and Tess nodded in agreement.

"Alright, then," said The King, "first of all, you guys already know a lot, specifically about Keyblade techniques. You've faced down countless Heartless, Nobodies, demons and all sorts of villains and monsters, so there's no doubting your courage.

"But there's still a lot for you to learn, not just about fighting. You've got to learn exactly what it is to be a Keyblade Master in mind and heart, and for that, you're going to have to go on a bit of a journey."

"What kind of journey?" Aiden asked, "if it means getting lost among the multi-verse again, at least let me back some snacks."

"Getting lost in reality isn't on the itinerary," said The King, "but it does involve a lot of traveling. Guys, you're going back to school."

"But it's summer break!" complained Sora, while Riku, Kairi, Aiden and Tess looked like they wanted to complain as well.

"I mean magic school," said The King, "you're going to learn a lot more about magic than you ever thought possible, while at the same time learning more about who you are as Keyblade Wielders and about yourselves, and before you ask, you're going to have to figure that out for yourselves."

"Lucky us," said Tess.

"So, where are we going to learn about magic?" Kairi asked.

"There's actually a couple of places where you're going to be staying as guest students," said King Mickey, "each school is on a different world. Some you've heard about and there's one that you've actually been to. Your first stop will be one place you've only heard about; Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."

"Hogwarts?" Sora asked, "we're going to Hogwarts?"

"That's where Victoire and Teddy went to school," said Riku.

"This is going to be awesome!" said an eager Kairi.

Just then something unexpected happened. A small portal opened up and from it emerged a very fast object that zoomed past our heroes and crashed onto the throne. It turned out to be a small pixy. She had an envelope like shirt, blue shorts, blue wristbands and angel wings anklets. She had a pink clip on her curly blonde hair, blue eyes, and blue lashes. She had bright blue insect-like wings. With her was a letter folded into a surfboard.

"My goodness!" said Queen Minnie as everyone clustered around the little creature, "are you alright?"

The little pixy shook her disoriented head and looked up at everyone, "I think so, I really ought to work on my portal exits."

"I don't mean to be rude," said Daisy, "but who are you?"

"Oh, sorry, introductions," said the little creature. She stood up brushed herself off and looked up at The King and Queen proudly, "I'm Livy, Pixy of Messages, and I've come all the way from Alfea to deliver a message for the Keyblade Wielders, from Headmistress Faragonda."

"You came all the way from The Realm of Magix?" Kairi asked.

"Isn't that were you fought those psycho witches?" Tess asked.

"Our first real mission together," said Riku.

"And where we met The Winx," said Sora.

"You know Bloom and The Winx?" Livi asked, "oh, before I forget," she then tossed her paper surfboard to Sora, which unfolded into an envelope addressed to Sora, Riku and Kairi, sealed with the emblem of Alfea College for Fairies.

"I've got a feeling that Hogwarts is going to have to wait," said Aiden as Sora opened the letter.

"Is it that obvious?" Tess asked.

**The end of Volume 1.**

And that's it for my Necroscope crossover. Just so you'll know, Sora and the gang haven't seen the last of Reina, Rita and the others from E-Branch. They'll show up in a later volume, and once again a big thanks to my associate producers, DJ Scales and Kingdom Hearts Guy.

As for Sora and the others, they're about to return to The Magical Dimension to once again save it from a great and terrible darkness, but this time will be much different than before as they help Bloom and her fellow Winx evolve their Fairy magic to the next level.

Coming soon…

**Kingdom Hearts: Path of the Keyblade Master**

**Volume 2: Concerning Charmix.**

See you then!


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